Why H-1B Visas Touch a Nerve

Chart of the Week #38

Earlier this week, I wrote to you about the MAGA “civil war” over H-1B worker visas. I explained why it’s happening, who benefits from these visas, and how the system is being gamed. Here’s how I concluded it:

And maybe—and I know I’m walking a fine line here—the answer to America’s problems isn’t to bring in millions of workers from abroad. Maybe it’s about training a group of people who’ve been left behind by DEI over the last decade. I’ll let you figure out for yourself who that might be.

Today, as part of our “Chart of the Week” feature, I’ve got a graph that really gets to the heart of all that—specifically, why many people are sensitive about the issue of immigration (and why they don’t appreciate being talked down to by MAGA’s Silicon Valley squad).

I came across this data while reading a 2023 Washington Post op-ed—yeah, I know—called “If We Avoid a Recession, We Can Thank Black and Hispanic Workers.”

The piece basically celebrates the fact that, since February 2020, fewer white people were employed compared to pre-pandemic levels, while employment among immigrants and people of color grew substantially. Take a look at these numbers, covering roughly three years since the pandemic's start.

According to the article:

Fewer White people are employed now than pre-pandemic. In contrast, over 2 million more Hispanics are employed now, over 800,000 more Asian Americans and over 750,000 more African Americans.

The piece goes on to say that "if the U.S. economy ends up having a soft landing, it will largely be because immigrants and people of color have kept entering the labor force..."

When you combine that with reports like this one from Bloomberg (see image below), it’s easy to see why so many are becoming increasingly alarmed about H-1B visas and immigration as a whole.

Regards,

Lau Vegys