Big Tech is taking advantage of America's broken immigration system, and Americans are suffering because of it.
Last week, a jury unanimously awarded Cognizant, an outsourcing and IT consulting firm founded in Chennai, India and headquartered in New Jersey. guilty He is accused of abusing the H-1B visa program to discriminate against American workers. According to plaintiff's lawyer“Individuals who were not Indian” [or] South Asians were 8.4 times more likely to be sent off the bench than Indians in the priority category. ”
An America First immigration policy is not a policy that makes it impossible for talented foreigners to immigrate to the United States. Nor is our current system where low-skilled workers can pretend to be superior and get jobs that don't even exist.
Additionally, South Asian employees had a 1% layoff rate, compared to 27%, 20%, and 9% for black, Hispanic, and white employees, respectively.
In a conversation with Kevin Lin, director of the Institute for Healthy Public Policy and founder of Tech Workers of America, he said, “This ruling will have major repercussions in the next government's boardrooms, in Congress, and in government agencies.'' '', he emphasized the importance of the judgment. This will help right the ship in terms of protecting the domestic workforce. Policymakers can no longer turn a blind eye when it comes to enforcing the text of immigration law and prosecuting cases of discrimination. ”
Following the guilty verdict, Cognizant announced it would appeal the decision and denied the discrimination charges.
The company says, “We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce that fosters a culture of belonging where all employees feel valued, engaged, and have opportunities to grow and succeed.'' We have created a workplace that is inclusive.”
But the plaintiffs in the lawsuit say that over the past two decades, Cognizant has generously issued H-1B visas to Indian workers, lowered wages, and forced out American workers. According to the plaintiffs, Cognizant became one of the largest recipients of H-1B workers, in part by submitting visa applications for jobs that did not exist.
In 2016, Dr. Jean-Claude Franchitti, a French national with a Ph.D. in computer science, signed hundreds of fraudulent letters regarding H-1B visa applications for non-existent jobs. reported being asked to do so and was fired from Cognizant.
The lawsuit alleges that Dr. Franchitti's managers “will staff client projects with Indian employees on visas, rather than non-Indian members.” [his] This group is already in the United States and can participate in this activity. ”
Broken work visa program
The H-1B visa program was originally created to give companies temporary access to highly skilled foreign workers for specialized jobs. In theory, to fill the labor shortage, H-1B visas should only be given to foreigners who exhibit. “Excellent achievements and abilities”
But in reality, many of these H-1B visa holders are ordinary people with no special talents or skills compared to many unemployed Americans who have the same or better skills. It's just an individual. Like Cognizant, some companies are exploiting the program to flood the labor supply and drive down wages for Americans in a job market that is not in short supply.
Separately, the labor supply shock caused by immigration is putting downward pressure on wages. However, in theory, immigration could later increase demand for labor, grow existing industries, or perhaps even create new industries (i.e., jobs).
But this doesn't happen when companies apply for work visas for jobs that don't even exist, or discriminate against workers based on whether they're from India, and pay their workers as low as possible. I can.
Unfortunately, America's broken immigration system fails to foster a competitive environment that attracts top talent from around the world to come to America to create American jobs. America's seemingly arbitrary and anti-meritocracy visa system means that low-skilled, low-wage workers often undermine wages in the United States while displacing high-skilled, talented workers around the world. and prevent them from contributing to the American economy.
Therefore, America's immigration system needs a complete overhaul. An America First immigration policy does not mean that it is impossible for talented foreigners to immigrate to the United States, nor does it exist under the pretense that low-skilled workers are exceptionally capable. Nor is it the current system that allows people to get jobs. Instead, America's current guest worker program needs to be replaced with a new system that has real benefits. Instead of hiring mediocre foreign workers at mediocre salaries, companies should hire top-notch global talent at first-class salaries.
With less than a month until the presidential election, illegal immigration remains a top concern for many Americans. Equally important, the next administration must urgently and comprehensively address reforming legal routes of entry into the United States. Until merit becomes a primary prerequisite for obtaining a work visa, American workers will continue to bear the costs of a dysfunctional immigration system.
