On behalf of the 3,000+ small and seasonal businesses the Seasonal Employment Alliance and the National Association of Landscape Professionals represent, we want to congratulate the administration on recognizing H-2B program expansion as part of the solution to reducing irregular migration by allocating 6,000 of the 22,000 additional H-2B visas released to the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.
The administration has identified poverty and economic opportunity as the primary drivers of the dangerous irregular migration from Central America to the United States.
H-2B program expansion solves these two issues. As more guest-worker visas are granted, border apprehension rates decline.
H-2B is a solution to the Biden administrations goals of reducing poverty in the Northern Triangle countries, providing direct economic assistance to these countries and reducing the flow of the dangerous irregular migration.
On March 24th, Vice President Harris was tasked by President Biden to coordinate with the Northern Triangle countries and Mexico to reduce the flow of irregular migration. This builds upon the memorandums of understanding between the United States and the governments of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador concerning the H-2 programs.
We urge Congress to build upon the administration’s policies by including an H-2B Returning Worker Exemption or the H-2B to H-2A definitional changes in the next moving legislative vehicle.