Journalism of Courage
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that the country doesn’t have talented workers to fill the jobs needed domestically and defended the H-1B visa scheme, saying that America needs to import talent for some sectors.
Ingraham countered the Republican leader, saying “We have plenty of talented people here,” to which Trump replied, “No, you don’t, no you don’t … you don’t have certain talents, and people have to learn. You can’t take people off an unemployment line and say, ‘I’m going to put you into a factory where we’re going to make missiles’.”
Trump defended the values of skilled immigration workers and pointed to a raid carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in September in a Hyundai facility in Georgia, which triggered the Trump administration to deport hundreds of South Korean contractors over their immigration status. The US president used it as evidence that America needs to bring in talent for certain fields.
Detailing about the Georgia raid, Trump said, “In Georgia, they raided because they wanted illegal immigrants out. They had people from South Korea that made batteries all their life.” He further added, “You know, making batteries is very complicated. It’s not an easy thing. Very dangerous, a lot of explosions, a lot of problems. They had like 500 or 600 people, early stages, to make batteries and to teach people how to do it. Well, they wanted them to get out of the country. You’re going to need that.”
Trump’s softening of stance toward the H-1B skilled worker visa program comes amid a massive crackdown by the federal agencies against foreign workers in the United States.
In September, Trump administration introduced an additional fee of $100,000 for certain H-1B petitions filed after September 21 as a mandatory condition for eligibility. However, the US State Department later issued a clarification that the new visa fee requirement applies to individuals or companies who have submitted applications for new H-1B visa after September 21.
