BISBEE — U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords recently introduced a bill that would double the number of H-1B visas that are available to immigrants who want to work legally in the United States.
 U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords |
The proposal calls for increasing the general H-1B visa cap from 65,000 to 130,000 in fiscal 2008. There would be a provision to allow the cap to increase up to 180,000 in future years.
The legislation also would uncap H-1B visas for master’s and doctoral students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics from American universities who will work in those fields.
C.J. Karamargin, spokesman for Giffords, said the people who get the H-1B visas are “well-educated and well-paid individuals who are essential to any economy.”
“The congresswoman knows that high-tech industry is very important to her district,” he said. “These are companies that employ more than 50,000 people in Southern Arizona. They generate annual revenues of more than $6 billion. And they pay typically very good wages.”
“This is a growing sector of the Southern Arizona economy, and the congresswoman wants to keep that momentum going,” he added.
Karamargin pointed out that high-tech groups, business groups and conservative think tanks support increasing the cap. The Heritage Foundation is one supporter.
Al Garza, national executive director of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, warned the legislation would result in “undercutting the American wage.
He said the United States already has plenty of people who are “intelligent” and “computer savvy” and there is no need to bring in people from another country.
“All they want is another reason to bring down the income scale and keep importing cheap labor,” Garza said.
“We’ve got to keep tight and stay together and fight these bills because they are ludicrous,” he added.
Karamargin acknowledged the H-1B visa is part of the immigration debate, but he said, “It would be a mistake to allow the overheated rhetoric associated with the immigration debate to hobble this legislation, which is something that Democrats and Republicans see the need for.”
Tom Dunn, spokesman for state Senate President Tim Bee, R-Tucson, who is Giffords’ likely opponent in the congressional District 8 election this face, declined to comment on the proposal.
“I don’t think we have a position on it at this point,” he said.
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debbie wrote on Apr 9, 2008 11:21 AM:
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