On Tuesday President Trump signed an executive order intended to reform certain work visa programs in an effort to bolster jobs for Americans. The catch to Trump's much touted "buy American, hire American" effort, however, it that it will not prevent President Trump from continuing to hire cheap labor for his own properties.
One of Trump's most famous campaign catchphrases was"America first," which he still proudly touts to demonstrate his promise to bring jobs back to the country and to halt the use of cheap migrant labor. But his new executive order only overhauls the much discussed H-1B visa program, targeting high-skilled foreign labor. In the past, Trump has been known to hire low-skill foreign workers at a low cost for his Florida resort Mar-a-Lago under a complete separate visa system.
The president, of course, has refused to fully divest from his organization and properties.
In order for Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort to hire foreign workers, it applies for H-2B visas which allow "U.S. employers or U.S. agents who meet specific regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary nonagricultural jobs," according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The new executive order, of course, leaves the H-2B visa system and application process completely unchanged.
Trump spoke of his use of H-2B visas back in March of 2016 during a presidential debate saying, "It's very, very hard to get people. But other hotels do the exact same thing…There's nothing wrong with it. We have no choice." Trump's businesses have applied for both H-2B and H-2A visas numerous times.
So despite Trump's claims of bringing jobs back to America by punishing those who outsource, it doesn't seem that it will even apply to himself. Ironically enough, the man who has continuously railed against other companies for taking jobs away from U.S. citizens has had many of his own products made overseas. Go figure.
Shares