IDA Universal

During Harris' time as vice president, the Department of Homeland Security announced a record allocation of 20,000 H-2B temporary nonagricul- tural workers visas for citizens of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Haiti, as part of almost 65,000 supplemental H-2B visas made available for fiscal year 2023. "I think it's clearer to project what would happen under a Harris administration. I would expect that there would be at least a status quo in terms of H-2B visa allocation and availability," said D'Arrigo. "Al- though Trump personally uses the H-2B visa program for his businesses, it's less clear on how he will approach the H-2B visa program based on his history of restricting legal immigration." During his administration, President Donald Trump nearly doubled the number of H-2B visas available in 2019. Howev- er, in June 2020, his adminis- tration suspended the program, saying it was to protect U.S. workers from job competition due to the economic down- turn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. "Little has been reported on what Trump's policy will likely be on 'legal immigration' in a second Trump term," said D'Arrigo. "We have the benefit of forecasting what Trump im- migration may look like in 2025 through the lens of Trump's prior administration. Under his administration, we witnessed a record-breaking number of visa denials, leaving U.S. businesses without the talent they need to succeed in a globally competi- tive economy." DACA and TPS In addition to significant expansion to the H-2B visa program, AGC has asked Congress to enact legislation authorizing both the De- ferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Temporary Protected Status programs. DACA grants deportation re- lief and work permits to young immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, oen referred to as "Dreamers." Trump attempted to end the DACA program in 2020, but Congress blocked the move. If re-elected, Trump will likely seek to end DACA again, said D'Arrigo. TPS provides temporary legal status to immigrants from countries under crisis. Trump would likely seek to roll back TPS designations as well. On the other hand, D'Arrigo anticipates a Harris administra- tion to make DACA a high pri- ority, as it has been for Biden's immigration policy. L.J. D'Arrigo Permission granted by L.J. D'Arrigo "It's about a skills shortage, a skilled worker shortage." Many of the people coming across the border lack the- Opponents of immigration reform say bringing in more workers would reduce wages, according to the Center for Immigration Studies. How- ever, for Basu, the key chal- lenge remains finding work- ers with the specialized skills. term, it does not address the core issue of specialized train- ing. Training solutions AGC is engaged with U.S. Reps. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, and Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., to cra bipartisan legislation to address a range of immigration and work authorization programs. AGC suggests doubling the funding for the Perkins Act, a federal funding program that supports career-technical ed- ucation, and to boost federal post-secondary funding for construction education and training programs. Federal officials currently put about 80% of post-secondary fund- ing into four-year degree programs even though only 38% of Americans will earn such a degree, said Turmail. Basu also highlighted the need to retain skilled foreign talent. He questions the logic of sending back talented individuals trained in U.S. universities to their home countries, arguing if they are "gied in science, technolo- gy, engineering or math, we need them here." But just increasing the num- ber of workers in the U.S. isn't enough to solve the issue for construction, said Basu. Opponents of immigration reform say bringing in more workers would reduce wages, according to the Center for Immigration Studies. How- ever, for Basu, the key chal- lenge remains finding work- ers with the specialized skills. "I don't talk about worker shortages so much because I don't think it's really about a worker shortage," said Basu. NUTS & BOLTS Continued from page 36 IDA Universal November-December 2024 38 Continued on page 40

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