Trump administration suspends additional seasonal worker visas due to economic downturn

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The Trump administration said Thursday that it is suspending the issuing of further H-2B seasonal guest worker visas due to the economic downturned sparked by the coronavirus crisis.

"To clear up various misreporting -- DHS’s [Department of Homeland Security's] rule on the H-2B cap is on hold pending review due to present economic circumstances,” the agency said on Twitter. “No additional H-2B visas will be released until further notice.”

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The number of H-2B visas, which give temporary legal status to non-agricultural seasonal workers in areas such as landscaping and service-industry jobs in restaurants and hotels, is capped at 66,000 a year by Congress. But Congress has given DHS and the Labor Department the authority to raise that cap by 64,000 visas a year.

DHS announced at the beginning of last month that it would raise the cap by 35,000 -- significantly lower than the full cap, but higher than the 30,000 the administration raised it by in 2018. The increase would be accompanied by reforms to the system to root out abuse and fraud.

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Immigration hawks have long opposed increases in H-2B visas, while business groups have said they are essential in a tight labor market. On the Hill, raising the cap has seen both bipartisan support and opposition. Groups of Republicans and Democrats have written to the administration on both sides of the issue.

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The extra visas were to be made available in two batches: 20,000 starting April 1, and a second batch starting May 15. But amid dire economic news, DHS has suspended the cap increase.

"This is a step in the right direction and should be applauded," said RJ Hauman, government relations director at the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which advocates for lower levels of immigration overall. "However, 10 million have lost their jobs in the past few weeks and it will get worse. American workers need more -- a complete moratorium on guest worker admissions. President Trump has the authority and should use it."

It was announced Thursday that the number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits surged to more than 6.6 million last week, breaking a record high for the second week in a row as more states and cities enforced strict stay-at-home measures in an attempt to stop the coronavirus pandemic.

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The administration announced Wednesday that it was extending the closure of immigration offices across the country until May. It has also restricted nonessential travel across land borders with Mexico and Canada.

Last week the State Department announced it would waive the interview requirement for most agricultural guest worker visas, amid pressure from Democrats and agricultural groups to prioritize the visas to strengthen the food supply chain.