Dan Rather Reports: Many H-2B Petitioners in Counties with High Unemployment
Dan Rather Reports, with the help of Policy Map, has put together an impressive database where you can search for companies that applied for H-2B foreign worker visas through the year 2009. Created in 1986 as part of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA, infamously known for granting amnesty to approximately 3 million illegal immigrants), the H-2B visa allows U.S. employers to hire foreign nationals for non-agricultural labor or service jobs. There is an annual cap of 66,000, but exemptions have resulted in as many as 129,547 in any given year.
According to Rather's report, "many of the companies that petitioned for H-2B guest worker visas were located in counties with particularly high unemployment."
For example, in July 2009, Florida had 10.5 percent unemployment rate that would eventually peak at a record 12 percent; 950,000 Floridians were unsuccessfully looking for work. Yet in 2009, Florida employers requested 11,277 H-2B visas.
Most H-2B visa holders are dedicated, hard-working employees. Their work ethic appeals to employers. Unfortunately, the H-2B program - like all guest worker programs - puts downward pressure on wages by increasing the supply of available workers. According to the Economic Policy Institute, there is no labor shortage in H-2B occupations. Wages for U.S. workers in H-2B occupations have stagnated as the H-2B visa program has expanded.
Use the database to find the companies in your state that applied for guest workers during the height of the recession.
JEREMY BECK is the Director of the Media Standards Project for NumbersUSA