Washington, D.C. (November 6, 2023) – Brent Booker, General President of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – made the following statement today:

LIUNA is extremely disappointed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s decision to raise the number of available H-2B visas without reforming the program to better protect workers. The H-2B visa program is a deeply flawed program which has been misused by irresponsible contractors who use the visas to exploit a captive foreign workforce. Raising the cap will likely result in more exploitable workers building our nation’s infrastructure rather than well-paid union laborers.

 

We urge the Biden Administration to protect both foreign and U.S. workers by refraining from further increases to the number of H-2B visas and instead focus on implementing critically needed worker protections in the H-2B program.

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The half-million members of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – are on the forefront of the construction industry, a powerhouse of workers who are proud to build the United States and Canada.