(March 31, 2021, Washington, D.C.) – The following statement was released in response to the Biden administration's impending decision to let to a guestworker pause expire in the middle of an ongoing economic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The statement should be attributed to Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR):
"President Biden loves to portray himself as a champion of the working class and a tireless defender of unemployed Americans, but today he showed his true colors. By restoring unfettered access to cheap foreign labor in the middle of an economic downturn, it shows how incredibly disconnected and uncaring he really is.
"Sadly, many of the jobs that were lost after COVID-19 first struck will never return. Now the very workers who held them will be competing toe-to-toe with foreign guestworkers, many of whom are willing to be paid less than their American counterparts. This move not only undermines the American worker but underscores President Biden's thoughtless disregard for the American worker and his failure to understand that first and foremost, immigration policy must serve the national interest.
"Millions of Americans still remain out of work. Even worse, the unemployment rate for the bottom quartile of Americans – many who compete with guestworkers and illegal aliens for jobs – is a staggering 23 percent. In a couple months, millions of American college students will graduate facing dim job prospects, and many will struggle to find meaningful employment. They too will now compete for limited openings with tens of thousands of guestworkers. This is unconscionable and devoid of common sense. Allowing this pause to expire reveals that President Biden is more interested in protecting access to cheap foreign labor at the expense of struggling Americans.
"President Biden inherited a country that was in the middle of two of the biggest crises our nation has ever faced: A global pandemic that has killed over 550,000 Americans coupled with an economic crisis that has caused millions to lose their jobs and life savings. Blindly, his administration dismantled nearly every facet of border enforcement this nation had in place, causing the biggest rush of illegal aliens to the border in two decades. Many of these illegal aliens will be seeking jobs right along with their foreign guestworker counterparts. We hope the American people are watching."
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