Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Democratic lawmaker Pramila Jayapal has criticised the Trump administration’s decision to suspend the green card pathway for Microsoft and seven other IT firms, saying the move amounts to taking “a hammer to legal immigration”. The administration has argued that the programme has kept Americans out of the job market.
The decision triggered a political exchange, with Jayapal defending Microsoft and the Permanent Labor Certification Program, or PERM, as part of the legal immigration system, and Vice President J D Vance accusing major technology companies and outsourcing firms of seeking a steady supply of cheap labour at the cost of American workers.
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On Thursday, the Trump administration suspended eight IT firms, including Microsoft, Tata, Infosys and Wipro, from the programme used to apply for green cards for foreign workers. Vance announced the suspension, alleging that major technology firms and outsourcing companies had abused the visa system at the expense of American workers.
Jayapal, a progressive Democrat from Washington state, where Microsoft is headquartered in Redmond, said the company had been a leader in advocating comprehensive immigration reform. She said the Trump administration had been “consistently working to take away legal pathways for immigrants to contribute their talents to our country, and this is yet another of those attacks”.
“You don’t fix a broken immigration system by taking a hammer to legal immigration,” Jayapal said. She added that Microsoft had pushed for reforms that modernise “an antiquated immigration system” and create more, not fewer, legal pathways for immigrants from around the world to work in the United States and live with their families.
She said the PERM programme is the first step towards an employment-based green card for many workers who want to contribute to the country, and that it sets out a clear process to ensure it benefits the economy and does not harm American jobs. “Our economy, our communities, and our families depend on immigrants in many sectors, including the tech sector, and heavy-handed attacks like this only hurt efforts to build a strong, stable, and diverse base of workers who have legal pathways to come and be in the United States while also protecting US workers from unscrupulous employers,” Jayapal said.
Vance hit back at Jayapal’s remarks with a jibe, saying, “‘Socialism’ apparently means fighting like hell to ensure megacorporations have a never-ending flow of cheap labour.” Jayapal, however, said targeting Microsoft or the PERM programme in this way undermines legal immigration and weakens America’s ability to innovate.
With PTI Inputs
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
