Chuck Grassley: “I cosponsored this amendment with the senior Senator from Illinois to protect American workers. The amendment would…”

“I cosponsored this amendment with the senior Senator from Illinois to protect American workers. The amendment would require employers who intend to hire foreign workers to first recruit and find Americans to do the job. The bill before us creates a new guestworker program, known as the ``Y'' visa program. I support this guestworker program. In fact, I voted to keep this program in the bill when the Senator from North Dakota offered an amendment to strike it. I have consistently said that I support new and expanded avenues for willing workers to enter the United States and work for employers who need them. Our country's employers want to hire legal immigrants. They need a better program, and one that allows nonseasonal or nonagricultural workers to come here. We have programs--such as the H-2A and H-2B visas--to bring in willing workers. But, there are some jobs that don't fit these categories. For example, in Iowa, we have meatpacking and egg processing facilities that require low-skilled workers. Yet they do not have a legal channel to bring in workers. Our existing visa categories don't help them. The ``Y'' visa program will. But, the bill is flawed in that it doesn't require these employers to first recruit Americans. Companies who use the ``Y'' visa program should try to find U.S. workers first. How can anyone argue against that? Why not offer the job to U.S. citizens before bringing in more foreign laborers?”