WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the
respective chairman and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today
criticized a Department of Homeland Security decision to release additional
H-2B temporary non-agricultural work visas.
“We’ve
long expressed concerns that perverse incentives created by the H-2B program
encourage lower wages and poor working conditions for American and immigrant guest
workers alike. Given that U.S. unemployment remains elevated in many H-2B-reliant
industries, this is no time to release additional H-2B visas. We hope that the Biden
administration will work with Congress to reform this program to ensure it better
serves Americans and guest workers,” Durbin
and Grassley said.
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