DONALD TRUMP AND TWO REPUBLICAN SENATORS HAVE
UNVEILED THEIR VERSION OF LIMITING IMMIGRATION IN THE
UNITED STATES, AND THIS GOES FURTHER THAN JUST BUILDING A
WALL ON THE SOUTHERN BORDER.
THEY ARE NOW PLANNING ON MAKING
IT DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN A GREEN CARD.
THEY ARE LIMITING AND
CAPPING LEGAL IMMIGRATION -- SORT OF.
I WILL GIVE YOU THE
CATCH IN A SECOND, BUT FIRST LET ME OUTLINE WHAT THEY ARE DOING
EXACTLY --
>>ONE CAVEAT TO THIS POLICY WOULD BE THE FACT THAT MINOR
CHILDREN AND SPOUSES WOULD STILL BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR GREEN
CARDS.
IF IT'S A MINOR CHILD LIVING IN A DIFFERENT COUNTRY
WHO WANTS TO REUNITE WITH THE PARENT LIVING IN THE COUNTRY
LEGALLY, THEY COULD APPLY FOR THAT GREEN CARD AND HOPEFULLY
GET APPROVED FOR IT.
LET'S HEAR FROM TRUMP, HE WAS JOINED BY TOM
COTTON AND DAVID PURDUE, THE TWO GOP SENATORS WHO WORKED ON
THIS LEGISLATION.
>>THIS COMPETITIVE APPLICATION PROCESS WILL FAVOR APPLICANTS
WHO CAN SPEAK ENGLISH, FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THEMSELVES
AND THEIR FAMILIES, AND DEMONSTRATE SKILLS THAT WILL
CONTRIBUTE TO OUR ECONOMY.
IT PREVENTS NEW MIGRANTS AND
IMMIGRANTS FROM COLLECTING WELFARE, AND PROTECTS U.S.
WORKERS FROM BEING DISPLACED.
>>I WANT TO WEIGH IN ON WHY THIS SHOWS HYPOCRISY AMONG
CONSERVATIVES IN A SECOND, AND ALSO THE TWO THINGS THAT ARE
DRIVING THE TWO DECISIONS YOU WILL TELL US ABOUT.
THIS IS THE
FIRST, AND THERE WAS A SECOND YOU WILL TELL US ABOUT THAT IS
KIND OF IRONIC THAT WAS DECIDED ON THE SAME DAY.
>>IT'S FASCINATING THAT HE'S USING THIS TOUGH TALK, THE GOP
IS SAYING THIS IS A GREAT IDEA BECAUSE WE HAVE AMERICAN WORKERS
WHO NEED JOBS, AND UNFORTUNATELY THOSE POSITIONS ARE BEING FILLED
BY FOREIGNERS AND WE NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR AMERICANS.
HOWEVER,
VERY RECENTLY DONALD TRUMP DECIDED TO LIFT THE CAP ON
FOREIGN WORKERS COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES TO WORK IN THE
FISHING INDUSTRY, AND SOME OTHER, YOU KNOW, TEMPORARY JOBS,
SEASONAL JOBS.
I'LL GIVE YOU THE NUMBERS ON THAT.
THE DEPARTMENT
OF HOMELAND SECURITY RAISE THE CAP ON H2-B VISAS FOR FOREIGN
GUEST WORKERS, IT WAS 66,000 YEAR AND INCREASED IT TO 81,000.
A COUPLE DAYS AFTER THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DID THAT, WHAT
DID TRUMP DO?
JUST THREE DAYS LATER, TRUMP PROPERTIES TOLD THE
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR THAT THEY WANTED APPROVAL TO USE 76 GUEST
WORKERS USING THOSE VISAS.
WHAT ABOUT AMERICAN WORKERS?
THEY ARE
VERY CONCERNED ABOUT AMERICAN WORKERS.
IF THEY WERE GENUINELY
CONCERNED ABOUT AMERICAN WORKERS AND THEY PROVIDED DATA AND
STATISTICS INDICATING THAT THIS POLICY WOULD HELP AMERICANS GET
JOBS, IT'S NOT DONE FOR XENOPHOBIC REASONS, I THINK
THAT'S A LEGITIMATE CONCERN.
THAT WHEN THE NUMBERS DON'T ADD
UP, AND WHEN THEY SAY THINGS LIKE THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO
SPEAK ENGLISH AND HAVE GOOD EDUCATION SKILLS, IT'S PRETTY
CLEAR WHAT THEY ARE TRYING TO DO.
THEY ARE TRYING TO PAINT
THESE INDIVIDUALS AS ILLITERATE INDIVIDUALS WHO WANT TO COME
HERE AND MOOCH OFF THE SYSTEM, WHEN THAT IS THE FARTHEST THING
FROM THE TRUTH, AND THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LIKES TO USE
FOREIGN LABOR AS WELL.
>>FIRST OF ALL I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IF TRUMP COULD PASS THOSE
ENGLISH TESTS HE'S REFERRING TO FOR IMMIGRANTS.
BUT TO THE HEART
OF THE ISSUE, MEMBER ALL THE TIMES CONSERVATIVES SAID THIS IS
NOT ABOUT LEGAL IMMIGRATION -- WE NEED TO BE A COUNTRY OF LAWS,
WE HAVE TO HAVE A BORDER, SO THIS IS ALL ABOUT MAKING SURE
THERE IS NOT UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS, WHAT THEY WERE
CALLED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS OR ILLEGAL ALIENS -- BUT NO, IT HAS
NOTHING TO DO WITH LATINOS OR ANY OF THAT STUFF, YOU LIBERALS
ARE MAKING THAT UP.
WE LOVE LEGAL IMMIGRATION, AS LONG AS
YOU ARE FOLLOWING THE LAWS.
TURNS OUT, JUST KIDDING.
WE
DON'T REALLY LIKE LEGAL IMMIGRANTS EITHER.
SO WE WILL
TAKE THE NUMBER OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND CUT THEM BY HALF.
WE CLAIM IT'S FOR THE AMERICAN WORKER, BUT THERE IS THE THING
ANA JUST TOLD YOU ABOUT -- TRUMP, IN HIS OWN PROPERTIES,
BRINGS IN FOREIGN WORKERS, SO I'M NOT HAVING A CONVERSATION
ABOUT IF TRUMP CARES ABOUT AMERICAN WORKERS ANYMORE.
TRUMP'S INTENT IS POLITICS, AND WHEN IT COMES TO ACTUAL JOBS HE
IS LIKE, I'M NOT GOING TO HIRE AMERICANS.
THEY COST MORE.
THAT'S FOR YOU, NOT ME.
THERE'S TWO REAL MOTIVATIONS, ONE IS
PANDER TO YOUR BASE, HENCE THE PENDER BEAR -- AND HEALTHCARE
WAS A DISASTER, I'VE ACCOMPLISHED NOTHING, BUT DON'T
WORRY, FOAMING AT THE MOUTH CONSERVATIVES, I STILL HATE
BROWN PEOPLE AND WE WERE JUST KIDDING ABOUT IT BEING ILLEGAL,
WE JUST CARE THAT THEY WERE FOREIGNERS.
AND THE SECOND PART
IS POLITICS, THESE PEOPLE EVENTUALLY BECOME CITIZENS --
WELL, MINORITIES ARE MORE LIKELY TO VOTE DEMOCRATIC, IMMIGRANTS
ARE MORE LIKELY TO VOTE DEMOCRATIC, SO HERE'S A GENIUS
IDEA FOR REPUBLICANS, CUT OFF IMMIGRATION.
WHO CARES THAT IT
DAMAGES THE ECONOMY, THE AMERICAN IDEA, GOES AGAINST THE
PRINCIPLES OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY, I DON'T CARE.
I CARE
ABOUT WINNING ELECTIONS AND SCORING POINTS WITH MY -BASED.
>>I LOVE THE POINT ABOUT PANDERING TO HIS BASE.
EVEN IF
YOU ARE MORE OPEN TO THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION YOU HAVE TO ADMIT
THAT THERE IS AN OBVIOUS PATTERN, HE FAILS WHEN IT COMES
TO REPEALING THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, HE IMMEDIATELY GOES OFF AND
TWEETS EARLY IN THE MORNING ABOUT HOW TRANSGENDER
INDIVIDUALS ARE BANNED FROM THE MILITARY WITHOUT ADVISING ANYONE
-- IT WAS PANDERING TO HIS BASE.
AND FAST-FORWARD TO THIS WEEK,
WHY AREN'T YOU EMPLOYING AMERICAN WORKERS?
I THINK WE
NEED TO HAVE AN IMMIGRATION POLICY THAT MAKES SENSE, THAT
NOT ONLY BENEFITS PEOPLE COMING INTO THE COUNTRY LEGALLY BUT
ALSO BENEFITS AMERICANS LIVING HERE AND DOESN'T HURT THEM.
BUT
THIS DISCUSSION IS CLOUDED IN SO MUCH XENOPHOBIA THAT IT'S
HARD TO TAKE WHAT HE SAID SERIOUSLY.
>>STUDIES SHOW THAT LEGAL IMMIGRANTS ADD TO THE ECONOMY --
THERE'S ALL THIS TALK ABOUT TAKING JOBS, BUT A LOT OF THEM
WIND UP BEING ENTREPRENEURS WHO CREATE MORE JOBS HERE IN
AMERICA.
THE OTHER PART IS THAT THERE ARE STUDIES SHOWING THAT
ON AVERAGE LEGAL IMMIGRANTS COMMIT LESS CRIMES THAN THE
AVERAGE AMERICAN.
SO ALL THOSE EXCUSES ARE WASHED AWAY, THIS IS
JUST ABOUT WE DON'T WANT FOREIGNERS IN THE COUNTRY, IT'S
BASICALLY AS SIMPLE AS THAT.
BUT ON THE ISSUE OF ACTUAL JOBS, I'M
CURIOUS ABOUT THAT.
I WISH I HAD ACCESS TO ALL THE INFORMATION
THE PRESIDENT HAS, WHICH I'M SURE HE HAS NOT UTILIZED -- BUT
IN TERMS OF -- SO, THEY BROUGHT IN ALL THESE WORKERS PARTLY TO
WORK ON TRUMP'S PROPERTIES, SO ON THE ISSUE OF THE HYPOCRISY ON
THE WORKERS' VISAS -- BUT THERE IS A SEAFOOD PROCESSING PLANT IN
VIRGINIA AND THEY ARE WORRIED IT MIGHT BE TOO LATE, THEY APPLIED
TO GET MORE WORKERS BECAUSE THEY NEEDED THEM BECAUSE THEY
COULDN'T PICK THE CRABS AND SHUCK THE OYSTERS AND PACK THE
BAIT, ALL THE STUFF -- AMERICANS CAN'T DO THAT?
OF COURSE THEY
CAN DO THAT, BUT IT'S A TOUGH JOB, AND I GUESS --
BUT THAT'S A NORMAL, BLUE-COLLAR JOB, I'M AMAZED WE CAN'T
FIND AMERICANS IN VIRGINIA TO DO THAT, BUT OF COURSE IT JUST
MEANS THEY CAN'T FIND AMERICANS AT THE WAGES THEY WANT TO PAY.
>>THAT'S AN INTERESTING PERSPECTIVE, I LOOKED INTO THAT
AS WELL.
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR CHEAP FOREIGN LABOR, THEN YES,
OF COURSE YOU DON'T WANT TO HIRE AMERICANS AND PAY THEM A FAIR
LIVING WAGE.
BUT TO COUNTER THAT, THERE WAS A FARMER IN
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, NAPA VALLEY SPECIFICALLY -- HE WANTED TO DO
RIGHT BY AMERICANS AND INCREASE THE WAGES AND PROVIDE BENEFITS
SO HE COULD ATTRACT AMERICAN WORKERS AND RELY ON THEM.
SO HE
INCREASED THE WAGES TO $16 AN HOUR, WHICH IS PRETTY GOOD, AND
OFFERED BENEFITS INCLUDING A 401(K) AND HEALTH INSURANCE.
AND
GUESS WHAT, HE STILL COULDN'T FIND AMERICANS WILLING TO DO THE
JOB.
I'M NOT MAKING THIS UP, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES AND NEW YORK
TIMES WROTE ABOUT THIS, IT WAS SOMETHING I FOUND DURING MY
RESEARCH FOR MY DEBATE.
>>AND THERE ARE CASES DOWN IN THE SOUTH, IRONICALLY IN THE
STATES OF, I BELIEVE, THE TWO PEOPLE WHO WERE INTRODUCING THIS
BILL WITH TRUMP, I KNOW IN GEORGIA THEY TRIED THIS ONCE,
THEY GOT TOUGH ON IMMIGRANTS, IN THIS CASE IT WAS UNDOCUMENTED
AND NOT LEGAL, THEY KICKED THEM OUT AND IN THE FACTORIES ALMOST
CLOSED DOWN BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYONE TO WORK
THOSE JOBS.
BUT NONETHELESS I DON'T BELIEVE IT AND I WILL TELL
YOU WHY, IT JUST MEANS YOU HAVE TO INCREASE THE WAGES EVEN MORE.
BUT IT'S A VERY INTERESTING QUESTION, AT WHAT WAGE WILL IN
AMERICAN BE WILLING TO DO THESE KINDS OF BLUE-COLLAR JOBS?
AND I
DON'T MEAN JUST REGULAR BLUE-COLLAR, THEY ARE HARD, YOU
GO PICK GRAPES OR TOMATOES IN THE MIDDLE OF A HEAT WAVE, ETC.
-- BUT THERE HAS GOT TO BE A PRICE, AND DOES THAT MEAN IF AT
THAT PRICE WE WOULDN'T BUY THE WINE OR THE CRABS THEY ARE
PICKING -- THAT HAS NEVER REALLY BEEN TESTED.
>>IT HAS TO DO WITH THE AMOUNT OF MONEY A WORKER IS GETTING
PAID, BUT OTHER FACTORS DON'T GET TALKED ABOUT ENOUGH FOREVER.
MIGRANT WORKERS ARE MUCH MORE MOBILE, THEY ARE WILLING TO MOVE
FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER TO TAKE THESE JOBS, WHEN IN REALITY
AMERICAN CITIZENS BUY HOMES, THEY ARE USUALLY NOT STUCK
IN ONE PLACE BUT THEY WANT TO STAY IN ONE PLACE, THAT'S
WHERE THEIR FAMILY IS, THAT'S WHERE THEIR LIVES ARE.
THAT IS ANOTHER REASON WHY SOME AMERICAN WORKERS DON'T TAKE
THESE JOBS, IT MEANS THEY HAVE TO MOVE FROM ONE PLACE TO
ANOTHER.
>>I WANT TO SEPARATE THE ISSUES A LITTLE BIT, BECAUSE I'M
CURIOUS AT WHAT PRICE AMERICANS TAKE THESE JOBS, I THINK WE
SHOULD TEST THAT, IF IT MEANS HIGHER PRICES FOR CRAB AND WINE,
OKAY.
I DON'T WANT TO DIMINISH THAT TOO MUCH BECAUSE SOME
PEOPLE, FORGET THE WINE AND THE CRAB, BUT FOR REAL PRODUCE AND
THINGS YOU NEED FOR YOUR DAILY DIET IT'S IMPORTANT FOR LOW
INCOME PEOPLE TO HAVE AFFORDABLE FOOD TO EAT.
BUT I THINK AS A
SOCIETY WE NEED TO KNOW HOW MUCH THE FOOD COSTS.
EITHER IT COSTS
A HIGHER PRICE THAT WE COULD PAY, OR LET'S BE DONE WITH THIS
FARCE AND SAY IT TURNS OUT WE NEED FOREIGN WORKERS, BECAUSE
OTHERWISE NO ONE BUYS THESE PRODUCTS BECAUSE THEY ARE TOO
EXPENSIVE.
IN ORDER FOR COSTS TO BE LOW WE NEED FOREIGN WORKERS.
ALL THEY DO IS DEMAGOGUE IN POLITICS ON ALL SIDES, BUT MOST
ESPECIALLY THESE GUYS ON THE WARPATH AGAINST IMMIGRANTS.
AND
THIS IMMIGRATION ISSUE ABOUT GREEN CARDS IS REMOVED FROM THE
WAGE ISSUE.
OF COURSE IMMIGRATION COULD AFFECT WAGES
BUT THE PEOPLE YOU BRING IN, IT SEEMS LIKE A BIG NUMBER, 1
MILLION PEOPLE A YEAR -- BUT ACCORDING TO THE LAST CENSUS WE
HAVE 330 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AT LEAST, SO IT'S A TINY
FRACTION OF THE PEOPLE IN AMERICA.
AND A LOT OF THOSE
IMMIGRANTS CREATE JOBS.
SO IN REALITY, ARE WE A COUNTRY OF
IMMIGRANTS?
IF WE ARE, WE SHOULD DO THOSE IMMIGRATION POLICIES NO
MATTER WHAT, ESPECIALLY LEGALLY, AND ON THE WAGE ISSUE IF WE
SAY WE DON'T WANT MORE LOW-WAGE WORKERS COMING IN ON
THESIS, THAT'S A SEPARATE ISSUE WE SHOULD SORT OUT, AND NO
POLITICIANS HAVE GIVEN A DECENT ANSWER TO THAT.
>>IT TURNS OUT IMMIGRATION IS COMPLICATED.
>>NOBODY KNEW IMMIGRATION WAS COMPLICATED.