Sanders says he supports immigration reform, but he’s skeptical about corporations clamoring for an expansion of guest worker programs at the expense of American workers. The immigration bill would significantly increase the number of H2B and H1B visas issued per year. The current cap for H2B is 66,000; that number would jump to 195,000, Sanders says. About 135,000 H1B visas were issued in 2012, even though the cap is 65,000. That number would go as high as 205,000, the senator says.
Sanders believes some foreign workers, like those who illegally work on Vermont’s dairy farms, are necessary because most Americans aren’t willing to take low-wage farm jobs. But he says in other instances, large companies are looking to supplant U.S. workers with cheaper foreign nationals.
“A couple of years ago, I believe it was Exxon Mobil that said they could not find American welders. I don’t believe it,” Sanders told Matthews. “I think in some instances, the complaints of the corporate world may well be true. In many instances, they’re not, because they’re not aggressive in reaching out to workers, or paying the wages they demand. Again, if there’s such a crisis, why haven’t wages gone up?”
