Durbin & Sessions Lead Bipartisan Group Of Senators In Calling For Investigation Into Abuses Within H-1B Visa Program
Press Release
U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Jeff Sessions (R-AL) led a bipartisan group of ten United States Senators today in writing to three federal agencies -- the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Labor -- calling for an investigation into abuses within the H-1B visa program. This bipartisan group has different perspectives on immigration reform, but they are united in their belief that our immigration systems should not be exploited to facilitate the displacement of American workers. As a recent article in the LA Times highlighted, there are serious concerns that U.S. companies are using the H-1B visa program to cut wage costs by laying off American workers. Today's letter comes two days after the annual cap for H-1B visas was reached. While some companies argue that this demand for H-1B visas demonstrates the need to increase the annual cap, the largest users of the H-1B program are foreign companies that specialize in outsourcing American jobs.
"A number of U.S. employers, including some large, well-known, publicly-traded corporations, have reportedly laid off thousands of American workers and replaced them with H-1B visa holders. To add insult to injury, many of the replaced American employees report that they have been forced to train the foreign workers who are taking their jobs," the Senators wrote.
"We respectfully request that you investigate the unacceptable replacement of American workers by H-1B workers to ascertain whether SCE or any other U.S. companies that have engaged in this practice, or the IT consulting companies supplying those companies with H-1B workers, have violated the law."
Today's letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), David Vitter (R-LA), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Jim Inhofe (R-OK).
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