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Bordallo responds to H-2B visa lawsuit
HAGÅTÑA, Guam—Delegate Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-GU) issued yesterday the following statement regarding the recent filing of a lawsuit against the federal government regarding the denial of H-2B visas:
“The nearly 100 percent denial rate of H-2B visas over the past year continues to negatively impact our community. Thousands of temporary nurses, construction workers, and others have had to return to their home countries because their visa renewal applications have been denied and new visas have not been issued. I’m very concerned that Guam’s organic workforce cannot meet our current labor demands, especially with the specialties that many of these H-2B workers provide. While I have included a legislative fix for this specific problem in the FY17 defense authorization bill, I have met with and will continue to be meeting with local stakeholders to discuss this particular immigration issue as well as to continue to build on broader regional solutions to our labor shortages. While it’s unfortunate that it has come to a lawsuit, I believe that this simultaneous approach may be necessary to resolve the current impasse in a more permanent fashion. Additionally, I will continue to fight for inclusion of my H-visa relief in the FY17 NDAA.”
