One of the concerns Conservatives had about Paul Ryan when he was being considered for the Speaker of the House job was his pro-amnesty attitude when it came to the illegal immigration problem, and a new bill being introduced under his leadership will give us an early indication as to the validity of those concerns.
The Strengthen Employment and Seasonal Opportunities Now (SEASON) Act would bypass the annual 66,000 cap on H-2B work visas by allowing foreigners admitted in any of the three previous years to remain and not be subject to the cap.
Critics of the bill are concerned that this will increase competition in an already tight job market—meaning fewer jobs for middle-class Americans—and will eventually lead to more illegal immigrants as the foreign workers overstay their visas.
The H-2B is a “seasonal” work permit for lower-skilled workers such as cooks, construction workers, hospitality, theme park employment, cruise ship employees and truck drivers and many other jobs.
Special side note: H-2B differs from the H-1B, which is for skilled guest-workers and is currently subject to pending legislation sponsored by Republican presidential candidate, Gang of Eight alumnus and Gutless On Principles (GOP) Hall of Shame member Sen. Marco Rubio. Under the Rubio bill, the number of H-1B visas issued to foreign workers would triple each year.
Just a little FYI for your consideration if you happen to be a Marco Rubio fan.
The SEASON bill was introduced by Reps. Steve Chabot (R-OH) and Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), just to name a few. Chabot is chairman of the House Small Business Committee while Goodlatte chairs the House Judiciary Committee. In a statement, Goodlatte had this to say about the bill:
“The SEASON Act provides much-needed reforms to the H-2B guest-worker program so that American employers have access to a reliable workforce during peak seasons. Additionally, the bill contains protections for American workers and taxpayers so that they are not adversely impacted by this seasonal guest-worker program.”
It may be just me, but isn’t it a bit odd that a bill that supposedly “fixes” a problem has to have special protections in place to make sure the fix doesn’t create new problems. Typical of government, wouldn’t you say?
This apparent conflict didn’t escape the notice of those who oppose this obvious cave on the issue of illegal immigration. Critics are saying that Goodlatte and the Republican establishment are being less than honest when they say that it’s mainly small businesses who will be helped with this bill when companies like Walt Disney are some of the biggest beneficiaries.
And here are some frightening statistics to keep in mind as we wait to see how Ryan handles this “reform” legislation. In 1970, fewer than 1 in 21 U.S. residents were foreign-born while today that number is 1 in 7 and climbing.
One of the fastest-growing categories in the immigration debate are people from the Middle East, driven in part by refugee resettlement and worker-based visa programs.
And I’m sure I don’t need to tell you why that last fact is a vital statistic of great concern to America today.
David Leach is the owner and publisher of The Strident Conservative, where you will find news and opinion that’s politically-incorrect and always “right.” He is also a frequent contributor at RedState.com.
His political commentaries can be heard daily on KLZ560 AM at 3pm MST and on other Crawford Broadcasting stations throughout the day.
