With a dramatic flip-flop in a matter of an hour, Republican front-runner Donald Trump vowed to end the abuse of H-1B visas as a cheap labour programme and insist on hiring American workers first without exception. That was just after saying his position on this visa programme was “changing” since America needs highly-skilled foreign talent.
The issue cropped up at the Republican debate in Detroit on Thursday night, when a moderator quizzed him about the contradiction that while he spoke enthusiastically in favour of these visas at a recent CNBC debate, his campaign website still said the visa programme will “decimate American workers”.
In his reply, Trump indicated that he was indeed “changing” his approach on H-1B visas, saying, “We need highly-skilled people in this country, and if we can’t do it, we’ll get them in.” He specifically cited the need for skilled foreign workers in Silicon Valley.
Stating that the foreign talent attending the likes of Harvard, Stanford and Wharton “get shoved out” even though they want to stay in the US desperately, Trump said: “We absolutely have to be able to keep the brain power in this country.”
Asked if he was abandoning the position cited on his website, he replied: “I’m changing it, and I’m softening the position because we have to have talented people in this country.”
However, within an hour or so, Trump was back to square one on the issue with a new posting on his website, asserting: “The H-1B programme is neither high-skilled nor immigration: these are temporary foreign workers, imported from abroad, for the explicit purpose of substituting for American workers at lower pay.”
“I remain totally committed to eliminating rampant, widespread H-1B abuse and ending outrageous practices such as those that occurred at Disney in Florida when Americans were forced to train their foreign replacements. I will end forever the use of the H-1B as a cheap labor program, and institute an absolute requirement to hire American workers first for every visa and immigration program. No exceptions."