WASHINGTON, D.C. – FWD.us President Todd Schulte issued the following statement today after the Department of Homeland Security announced a proposed regulation to establish a $103,265 tax on all cap-subject H-1B petitions:
“This administration continues its relentless, harmful and misguided efforts to dismantle the legal immigration system. This latest—a massive tax on American businesses that recruit and retain global talent here in the U.S.—is part of a broader pattern of attacks on all immigrants and those who rely on their contributions. Instead of addressing the growing affordability crisis facing American families, they continue to make things worse with policies that shrink the workforce and punish businesses, which are driving prices even higher.
“Policies like the H-1B innovation tax and the rumored tax on Optional Practical Training will only hinder our ability to compete globally for top talent and economic leadership. Jobs and businesses will move overseas, and all workers will be worse off for it. The first iteration of this policy has already been a clear failure, only ending when a federal court declared it illegal. But the administration is doubling down on this losing strategy.
“This proposed tax clearly violates the law by charging far more than is allowed, which should be the cost to adjudicate an H-1B petition. The administration wants to use this tax to raise billions of dollars more annually for ICE, CBP, EOIR, and other federal departments, to continue its mass deportation campaign and other attacks on immigrants and American communities. This is on top of the hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars that have been diverted already to these agencies, much of it still unspent.
“It is time for Congress to step up and pass legislation to modernize the immigration system, reforming and bolstering programs that can help us win the global race for talent and protect our position as the world's leading economy.”
Additional FWD.us resources: