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The leading candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination, Donald Trump, will stop jobs in Alabama being outsourced to foreign nationals by cutting the number of H-1B, B1 and L-1 visas that can be issued. These are the claims made by Jack [also known as Jay] Palmer, a whistleblower in the largest H-1B and B1 visa fraud settlement in the United States who now supports Trump.
Others who have supported Trump include Louis Farrakhan leader of the extremist racist and anti-Semitic Nation of Islam, David Duke former leader of the Ku Klux Klan and the neo-nazi Daily Stormer website that refers to Trump as "The Glorious Leader". Lets not also forget the endorsement of the founder and former leader of the French Front National Jean-Marie Le Pen who has been convicted for inciting racial hatred and has also made numerous anti-Semitic remarks.
However, many people may be somewhat sceptical of Trump's willingness to carry through with his anti-immigration policies as Trump companies have a long history of employing illegal immigrant Hispanics and employing other overseas nationals in preference to local US workers. It has also been said that in reality Trump is a liberal on immigration.
Palmer, who testified to the alleged misuse of H-1B visas by Indian IT giant, Infosys - of whom he is a former employee - to the Senate Judiciary Committee at a Congressional meeting on US immigration back in March 2015, claims that companies from 'California to Massachusetts' have been making hard-working Americans redundant for the sake of recruiting cheap foreign labor.
Alabamians and H-1B, B-1 and L-1 visa programmes
Palmer says that most Alabamians have likely never heard of the H-1B, B1 and L-1 visa programs, but, according to him, that does not mean they don't suffer the consequences of large corporations abusing the visa system. According to Palmer, too many US multinational companies are laying off some of the country's brightest and best talents and replacing them with foreign labor.
It has to be said though that most people employed on the visa programs mentioned by Palmer are well paid. This compares to lower skilled people brought in by Trump Companies on H-2B visas. In another bizarre twist Trump has recently said that he favours highly skilled immigration to the US.
Between 2012 and 2015, more than 4800 H-1B visas have been issued in Alabama. Of that number, approximately 21% are understood to be specialist doctors and surgeons. Palmer claims that the remaining percentage are issued to recruit foreign workers for jobs that he thinks should be filled by American workers. However, Palmer does not appear to offer nay proper analysis to back up this statement.
Palmer, alleges that the type of Alabama jobs being lost due to the H-1B, B1 and L-1 visa programmes include jobs for accountants, auditors, computer programmers and software developers. When addressing the Senate's Judiciary Committee 12 months ago, Palmer testified in the presence of, among others, Alabama's own State Senator, Jeff Sessions.
Claims US visa system 'doesn't work' for Americans
During his testimony he painted what he describes as a 'bleak picture' of visa abuse. He stated that the US visa system does not work in the interests of Americans and their families, but instead for big corporations who pay vast amounts of money into the 'Washington establishment.'
The American Immigration Council disagrees with this view and had the following to say:
...There is a positive impact on the wages of native-born workers in specific geographic areas with high H-1B employment and demand. More broadly, the H-1B program contributes to a h4er economy through higher wages for STEM workers...
Referring to Florida State Senator, Marco Rubio, as an example Palmer said: "Marco Rubio and his 'Gang of Eight' proposed legislation that would have increased foreign visas from 65,000 to 110,000 in one year and the potential to increase as high as 185,000. Large technology companies are the biggest abusers of the visa programs and Mr Rubio is taking money from them. How can Americans vote for the loss of more American jobs?"
Palmer was equally critical of Senator Ted Cruz, who in 2013, backed plans to triple the number of H-1B visas, which Palmer claims would 'displace more American workers.' Apparently, Cruz has done what Palmer describes as a '180-degree switch, now that he's taking money from Silicon Valley.'
Palmer claims Trump's US Immigration plan 'best by far'
Billionaire real estate magnate, Trump, has not taken money for US immigration reform from Silicon Valley executives says Palmer's. According to the Infosys whistleblower, Trump has developed a plan that 'will work' and is the 'best by far.' Trump plans to increase the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and 'empower them to do their jobs.' In that case will Trump face prosecution himself for owning companies that employ huge number of illegal immigrants?
Trump has promised no more 'catch and release' policies, but an approach that would see those in the US as a result of visa abuse 'caught, prosecuted and deported.' Palmer believes that Trump will look to hire Americans ahead of cheap foreign labor from overseas that American workers have to train.
However, recent revelations concerning Trump's recruitment of cheap foreign labor for many of his business ventures, including his 'well-to-do' Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, casts doubt over Trump's 'put American workers first' policy.
According to Palmer, Donald Trump's plans will cut the number of H-1B, B1 and L-1 visas issued that he claims results in American workers being laid off. He claims that almost a year to the day since testifying at the H-1B visa reform hearing, the problem of visa abuse has grown worse; he says that he's contacted every week about ongoing visa fraud.
Trump supports an illegal Immigrant Amnesty?!
Palmer urged Alabamians, who went to the vote for the Presidential primaries on March 1, to back Donald Trump who he says is the 'only candidate that doesn't take money for special interest.' Palmer says that Trump will end illegal immigration and prevent further American job losses.
In reality It seems that Trump wants to deport illegal immigrants and then let most of them come back in again under an "amnesty" program. As previously reported, in an interview for CNN in July 2015 Trump had the following to say:
...I would get people out and then have an expedited way of getting them back into the country so they can be legal.... A lot of these people are helping us ... and sometimes it's jobs a citizen of the United States doesn't want to do. I want to move 'em out, and we're going to move 'em back in and let them be legal...
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