U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Falsehoods on Immigration – Part 3



The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has put up a website giving what it calls “10 Immigration Facts Everyone Can Agree To.” The so-called facts are both falsehoods and half-truths. Here is their #3:

U.S. Chamber’s Myth: “At a time of high unemployment, the U.S. economy does not need temporary foreign workers.”

U.S. Chamber’s Fact: “Temporary workers from abroad fill specialized needs in specific sectors of the U.S. economy.”

FAIR’s Fact: In FY 2012 the U.S. admitted over 1 million temporary workers. The largest categories of temporary foreign worker visas are for professionals (H-1B visas) and for intra-company transfers (L visas). An employer of these workers is not required to hire a U.S. job applicant before giving the job to a foreign worker, and in practice may let U.S. workers go and replace them with foreign workers. U.S. employers, that the U.S. Chamber represents, love these foreign workers because they can’t readily change jobs and can be hired for less than a U.S. worker with a comparable educational level.

About Author

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Jack, who joined FAIR’s National Board of Advisors in 2017, is a retired U.S. diplomat with consular experience. He has testified before the U.S. Congress, U.S. Civil Rights Commission, and U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform and has authored studies of immigration issues. His national and international print, TV, and talk radio experience is extensive (including in Spanish).

4 Comments

  1. avatar

    We give companies incentives not to hire American workers. WHERE are all the big business hating liberals on this subject. It’s a supposed “right wing” group like FAIR looking out for the welfare of the American worker while liberals carry the water for business interests in their effort to drive all wages to nothing.