| Hi there,
I want to tell you a story about getting something done within our truly broken immigration system. It has to do with the H-2 visa program, which brings in legal, vetted workers to help seasonal industries like tourism and agriculture. Think Mackinac Island or seasonal farm work.
It also is a perfect example of how the partisanship surrounding immigration is holding back businesses around Michigan and dragging down our economy.
This isn’t a new issue for me – over the last few years in particular, I’ve heard concerns from small business owners in places like Mackinac Island and around our state about labor shortages during peak season. Not having enough workers has forced small businesses all over Michigan to shorten their hours and scale back service.
That’s why I’ve been pushing the administration to release more H-2B visas, particularly during the tourism high season, so more workers can come to the U.S. legally to help businesses keep their doors open and continue growing our economy. I’ve been making this request each year I have served in Congress, and at the beginning of the year, I urged the administration to release more of these guest worker visas, and I was pleased when they took that step.
Earlier this month, I wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Labor Secretary Walsh asking them to speed up the H-2B process – which can often take months and leaves our businesses in limbo. Last week I learned that they’ve taken my recommendations and plan to the maximum number of visas for this fiscal year.
This is going to be a huge boost for Michigan’s seasonal businesses. It will enable them to hire the workers they need to stay open and well-staffed during their busiest seasons, and ensures Michiganders visiting Mackinac or patronizing other businesses don’t have to worry about unexpected closures or delays.
As I’ve said many times, our immigration system is broken and both parties share blame for politicizing this issue. But the announcement of these additional visas shows that when we key our immigration policy to our economic needs, we can support legal and safe immigration – instead of illegal, dangerous border crossings – and American businesses can thrive.
– Rep. Elissa Slotkin |
