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Trump threatens to terminate J1 student visa scheme

Donald Trump's race for the White House took a few more casualties this week as the businessman p...
Newstalk
Newstalk

13.09 18 Aug 2015


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Trump threatens to terminate J...

Trump threatens to terminate J1 student visa scheme

Newstalk
Newstalk

13.09 18 Aug 2015


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Donald Trump's race for the White House took a few more casualties this week as the businessman published his immigration plan.

This time it has hit closer to home as Trump revealed he has the J1 visa programme in his crosshairs.

The entrepreneur turned politician has released his three core principles for real immigration reform.

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Taken from Donald Trump's policy document on immigration

Donald Trump says foreign workers are keeping US salaries from rising, unemployment from falling and they are making it difficult for poor and working class Americans to earn a middle class wage.

On his website he spells out: "Every year, we voluntarily admit another 2 million new immigrants, guest workers, refugees, and dependents, growing our existing all-time historic record population of 42 million immigrants."

He says he is fighting for the American dream. But if he gets his way we could feel the effect of his policies here. 

J1 changes

Trump is promising to 'terminate' the J1 visa programme under which thousands of students travel to the States each summer.

Instead he is promising to engage with corporations who normally employ J1 students and convince them to hire inner city youths instead.

He says he will create 'a resume bank for inner city youth provided to all corporate subscribers to the J1 visa program' [sic].

His campaign team is pointing to reports that the J1 system has been open to abuse in recent years to back up his move.

On his website, he has linked to a report from National Public Radio (NPR) that says abuses have caused the State Department to curtail the number of students permitted to come to the US to about 90,000 a year, from a peak of about 150,000 a year.

But the abuses the State Department is looking in to are on the employer's side after complaints about McDonalds' policies.

NPR quotes Saket Soni, president of the National Guestworker Alliance union, "The problems with the J-1 visa are part of a bigger picture, which is that guest workers across the country are firstly exploited, and secondly used to undercut local workers and turn jobs into temporary and low-wage jobs".

Enhanced penalties

Trump is also threatening to enhance the penalties in place for those caught overstaying a visa.

Citing concerns for national security he says individuals should be subject to criminal penalties if they fail to leave the country on time.

Green cards on the line

On green cards, he is pledging to introduce a law that forces employers to hire from the domestic pool of unemployed immigrant and native workers before any new cards are given out.

And he wants to end a birth right to citizenship, meaning the American children of illegal immigrants will no longer get automatic citizenship.

Courting controversy

Trump's controversial immigration policies are also the ticket to his popularity.

Offered the opportunity to withdraw remarks he made branding Mexican immigrants 'rapists' and 'murderers' he has held the line, refusing to apologise for what he calls the truth.


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