美失业现象严重对外籍员工关门
As more Americans lose their jobs, the U.S. government is actively discouraging the recruitment of foreign workers, from dude ranchers and fruit pickers to lifeguards and computer programmers.At least three avenues of legal immigration have seen roadblocks erected. In the most visible and controversial move, companies receiving federal bailout money now face extra hurdles before they can hire highly skilled guest workers on an H-1B visa. On Friday, the Labor Department will close a public-comment period for a proposal to suspend an agricultural guest-worker program, known as the H-2A.
The State Department is asking some sponsors of the J-1 visa -- seasonal employers such as hotels, golf resorts and summer camps -- to reduce dependence on foreign labor. 'Basically, because of the economic downturn, it will be difficult to place these people in jobs,' said State Department spokesman Andy Lainey, confirming that a letter from the agency asked sponsors to make cuts 'voluntarily.'
With the unemployment rate at 8.1% and approaching double digits, the U.S. finds its longstanding quandary over immigration growing even more difficult. On one hand, fewer Americans have jobs and competition for available work is intensifying. On the other, the Obama administration says it wants to resist moves toward protectionism -- at least in the trade of goods and services -- and will push that view at next week's London summit with the leaders of the Group of 20 nations.
Immigration advocates say it is hypocritical not to apply the same approach to the flow of people.
'You don't abandon regulations because you have one bad year,' said Jeanne M. Malitz, an immigration lawyer in San Diego who represents many growers who are trying to plan their harvests but are uncertain of their labor source. They have relied on the H-2A program, which allows guest agriculture workers to stay as long as 10 months. A spokeswoman for the Labor Department said a decision on whether the program will be suspended for nine months will be made in 'a couple of months.'
The H-2A program requires growers to try to fill vacancies with Americans first. Some farms, Ms. Malitz said, are seeing U.S. applicants for the first time in years, but remain apprehensive. 'Will they stay?' she asks. 'They quit in the middle of the season. They don't like it.'
Indeed, an economic downturn tests an argument that has been the bedrock of legal, employer-sponsored migration: Americans won't or can't do certain jobs. Among the highly skilled, perhaps they didn't know programming languages such as Java or C++. Among the lower skilled, they didn't want to work with their hands, get dirty, or sweat.
To be sure, nearly all players in the global economy have grappled with the question of how open borders should be. In Europe, several countries with steep unemployment rates are paying migrants to return home.
The U.S. government's attitude marks a stark turnaround. During the boom years, Congress actually raised the number of H-1B visas, reserved for highly skilled immigrants. Now, some economists have suggested that allowing more foreigners into the U.S. -- say, an immigrant who buys a house in exchange for a green card -- would actually help jump-start the economy.
But a public beleaguered by lost jobs seems loath to embrace such an idea. The federal economic-stimulus package restricts H-1B hires among companies that receive funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program. They must prove they have tried to recruit American workers at prevailing wages and that foreigners aren't replacing U.S. citizens.
Bank of America Corp., which received $45 billion of federal funds, has withdrawn offers to some students because they would have required an H-1B. However, companies that haven't taken bailout money can proceed as normal with their sponsorships, a process that begins April 1.
随着越来越多的美国人丢掉工作，美国政府正在积极阻止企业雇用外籍员工，包括从农场工人、水果采摘工，到救生员、电脑程序员等各个行业的职位。
至少有三条合法移民之路已经竖起了“路障”。最为显而易见、也颇有争议的一项措施是，获得联邦救助资金的企业如今在雇佣需要申请H-1B签证的外籍高技能人员之前就面临着额外的障碍。周五，美国劳工部将结束对暂停外籍农业工人计划（所谓的H-2A计划）的公众评议期。
美国国务院要求一些雇佣需申请J-1签证的工人（包括酒店、高尔夫球场、夏令营等季节性员工）的企业减少对外籍工人的依赖。国务院发言人雷尼说，总的来说，考虑到经济形势的低迷，很难向这些人提供就业岗位，他证实国务院曾向企业发函要求它们“自愿”减少雇佣外籍工人。
由于失业率已高达8.1%，并且还在向两位数逼近，美国发现在移民问题上长期进退两难的处境变得更加棘手。一方面，美国人失业率上升，对现有就业岗位的竞争更加激烈。另一方面，奥巴马政府表示，希望抵制保护主义倾向（至少是在商品和服务贸易方面），他还将在下周伦敦二十国集团峰会上向其他国家的领导人推销这个想法。
移民维权人士说，对外籍员工采取不同做法暴露了政府的虚伪。
圣地亚哥移民律师马利茨说，你不能因为某一年的境况不好，就放弃了原则。她代表很多正在努力筹划收割工作、但又不确定是否有工人来源的种植企业。它们一直依靠H-2A计划，这个计划允许外籍农业工人在美停留至多10个月。劳工部发言人说，将在几个月内决定是否要将这个计划暂停9个月。
H-2A计划要求种植企业首先雇佣美国人来填补职位空缺。马利茨说，一些牧场多年来首次看到美国人提出工作申请，不过他们仍很担心。她问，这些人会留下来吗？收获季节还没结束他们就辞职了。他们不喜欢这种工作。
不错，经济低迷考验了这样一种说法：某些工作是美国人不愿做或是做不了的。这种观点奠定了雇主帮助申请工作签证的、合法移民项目的基础。在需要高技能的工作中，他们可能不懂Java或是C++等编程语言；在技能要求较低的工作中，他们又不想干体力活，把自己弄得脏兮兮或是汗津津的。
当然，几乎所有全球经济的参与者都受到这样一个问题的困扰：边境的开放程度应该有多大。在欧洲，好几个失业率很高的国家在向外籍工人发钱，让他们回自己的国家。
美国政府的态度出现了明显的转变。在一派繁荣的时候，国会实际上增加了面向高技能移民的H-1B签证。如今，一些经济学家建议，允许更多外国人进入美国（比如，用买房来换取绿卡）实际上将有助于启动美国经济。
不过，受到失业困扰的美国公众看来对这样的主意深恶痛绝。联邦经济刺激计划限制接受了问题资产救助计划资金的企业雇佣需要申请H-1B签证的外籍员工。它们必须证明自己已经尽力以平均工资雇佣美国人，外国人并没有取代美国公民。
美国银行接受了450亿美元的联邦资金。该行已经收回了发给一些学生的工作邀请函，因为这些学生需要申请H-1B签证。不过，没有接受联邦救助资金的企业可以照常帮助学生申请H-1B签证，申请过程将从4月1日开始。
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