Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Health Care Workers Excluded From Trump's New Restrictions For H1-B Visas
The Wall Street Journal: Trump Moves To Temporarily Suspend New H-1B, Other Visas Amid Covid-19 Pandemic
President Trump signed an order Monday temporarily barring new immigrants on a slate of employment-based visas, including the H-1B for high-skilled workers, from coming to the U.S. amid the coronavirus pandemic. The restrictions, which are set to take effect June 24 and last through the end of the year, will prevent hundreds of thousands of new immigrants who were expected to rely on the visas to work in industries ranging from tech and consulting to landscaping and seasonal jobs at resorts. (Hackman, 6/22)
Los Angeles Times: Trump Announces New H1-B Visa Restrictions On Foreign Workers
The order primarily affects H-1B visas, broadly set out for high-skilled workers; H-2B visas, for seasonal employees; L-1 visas, for corporate executives; and J-1 visas, for scholars and exchange programs, restricting new authorizations through Dec. 31. The new measure takes effect Wednesday. Yet it also comes with broad exemptions, such as for many potential agricultural, healthcare and food industry workers. It does not change the status of immigrants already in the U.S. In the order, Trump wrote that admitting workers to the country within the targeted visa categories “poses a risk of displacing and disadvantaging United States workers during the current recovery” and “would be detrimental to the interests of the United States.” (O'Toole, 6/22)
The Associated Press: Trump Administration Extends Visa Ban To Non-Immigrants
“In the administration of our Nation’s immigration system, we must remain mindful of the impact of foreign workers on the United States labor market, particularly in the current extraordinary environment of high domestic unemployment and depressed demand for labor,” Trump wrote in his presidential proclamation. Trump imposed a 60-day ban on green cards issued abroad in April, which was set to expire Monday. That announcement, which largely targeted family members, drew a surprisingly chilly reception from immigration hardliners, who said the president didn’t go far enough. (Riechmann and Spagat, 6/23)
The Washington Post: Trump, Citing Pandemic, Orders Limits On Foreign Workers, Extends Immigration Restrictions Through December
The ban expands earlier restrictions, adding work visas that many companies use, especially in the technology sector, landscaping services and the forestry industry. It excludes agricultural laborers, health-care professionals supporting the pandemic response and food-service employees, along with some other temporary workers. (Miroff and Romm, 6/22)
WBUR: Trump Expected To Suspend H-1B, Other Visas Until End Of Year
But other workers will also be affected, including foreign au pairs who provide child care. Professors and scholars are not to be included in the order, the official said. There will be a provision to request exemptions. The order is not expected to affect immigrants and visa holders already in the United States. Business groups are expected to oppose the move. But groups that want less immigration cheered it. (Ordoñez, 6/20)
The New York Times: Trump Suspends H-1B And Other Visas That Allow Foreigners To Work In The U.S.
Amid the pandemic, the Trump administration has seized on the threat to public health as a pretext to issue a series of policy changes affecting almost every aspect of the immigration system, including asylum and green cards. While many changes have been announced as temporary, they could remain in place indefinitely. But critics say the administration has used the health crisis and the economic meltdown it has caused as pretext to put in place restrictions that further its immigration agenda. (Shear and Jordan, 6/22)
