Castro has not signed on to Gonzales’ bill and his office declined to comment on the HIRE Act for this story.Speaking to local leaders this week, Gonzales said his plan could offer some relief for people seeking economic asylum, allowing them to apply in their home countries instead of making a dangerous, fruitless journey to the border. ,” Gonzales said. “So I’ve been of the mindset, stop sending them down the asylum route.
If improvements to the work visa program could reduce the flow of asylum-seeking migrants, he said, it could also relieve local governments of the unfair burden Washington, D.C. has“Oftentimes the local government has to carry all the weight for what the federal government isn’t doing, and it’s wrong,” Gonzales said. “You’re using taxpayer dollars to keep your head above water.”
Those comments drew nods from a wide range of political and business leaders at Monday’s breakfast meeting, including Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai, a Democrat who grew up near the border. Sakai said he and Gonzales have many differences when it comes to immigration, but he thanked the congressman for engaging local leaders in his work.
“We’re dealing with a population that is marginalized and demonized,” Sakai said of migrant workers. “What I’m hoping is that we tie [work visa programs] into workforce [development] so that they get basic skills, and so that they’re not exploited.”, said he believed the longer work visas would do just that, allowing employers invest training in foreign workers knowing they’ll be long-term employees.
“One-year [guest worker] programs are irrelevant for anyone who wants consistency,” Russ said. “Three years makes it a space where we can have a conversation about bringing in culinary-trained people from South America or Europe in places where we can help grow our businesses and expand our footprint.”