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Ted Cruz Explains Why His Position on H1-B Visas Has Changed (VIDEO)
Red State ^ | 12/23/2015 | Leon Wolf

Posted on 12/23/2015 7:45:48 AM PST by conservativejoy

I had the opportunity to sit down yesterday with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) 100% at a campaign event in Nashville and ask him several questions. One of the questions I asked was whether Senator Cruz still supported expanding the H-1B visa program, as he has in the past. Senator Cruz indicated that he no longer does, and you can see his explanation here:

Transcript:

RedState: Senator, I think the path to legalization issue has been beaten to death and I won't go over it again. One of the things you have supported in the past is raising the ceiling on the number of H-1B visas. Is that something you still support?

Ted Cruz: It is not. And in this circumstance, there are changed circumstances, and anyone responds to changed circumstances. I have supported and I still support the original idea of the H-1B program which is to bring in very high skilled workers to produce jobs and economic growth. That's a good thing, when you have more jobs and economic growth.

However, we have seen in recent months this program being abused over and over and over again. We've seen companies, blue chip names that we all know bringing in not high skill workers, but medium to low skill workers, and IT workers, and firing American workers and replacing them with foreign workers. And then, to add insult to injury, forcing the Americans who have just been fired to train their replacements. That is wrong, it is grotesque, it is offensive, it is a perversion of the program.

And so, like any rational person faced with changed circumstances, you change your position in response to how the facts have changed.

That's why I've said that as President, I will impose a 180 day moratorium on the H-1B program, in order to carry out a comprehensive audit of the companies that have received H-1B visas to determine if they are abusing the program , if they are bringing in low skilled workers, if they're firing American workers, if they're perverting the program. Any company that has abused the program will be suspended from participating in it, and any company that has violated the criminal laws will be prosecuted.

You know, this is yet another manifestation of the lawlessness of the Obama administration. They don't enforce the laws, the President decrees illegal and unconstitutional amnesty, but he's also lawless with big companies that are abusing the H-1B program.

It's one of the reasons I joined with Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) 80% in introducing legislation to dramatically reform the H-1B program so that it can function as it's intended to. To require, for example, an advanced degree, not just a bachelor's degree, but a master's or a PhD. To put a preference to U.S. universities. To require as a minimum salary $110,000, so that you're not using it to bring in low cost foreign workers and replace American workers. To put in a 2 year hiatus from any company bringing in H-1Bs from laying off workers, so you gotta choose one or the other, but you can't be laying people off at the same time you're outsourcing.

All of these are reforms that are common sense I think to make the program work. And we need to make sure that our immigration laws prioritize American workers first, and as President, that's what I'll do.


TOPICS: Society
KEYWORDS: campaignconservative; corporatewelfare; cruz; cruzlied; flipflop; h1b; leonwolf; superpacs; tedcruz
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1 posted on 12/23/2015 7:45:48 AM PST by conservativejoy
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To: conservativejoy

Cruz: “It isn’t because Trump isn’t for it, so to be like Trump I can’t support H1B visa’s anymore”......”Me 2 Ted”


2 posted on 12/23/2015 7:49:54 AM PST by HarleyLady27 (.."THE FORCE AWAKENS"!!! TRUMP; TRUMP;TRUMP;TRUMP 100%....)
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To: conservativejoy

The only problem I have with Ted’s statement is that he seems to assume we only have medium skilled workers in the US and just don’t have any high skilled workers. I have to take exception to that. With 95 million people out of work we really don’t need to be bringing anybody in here at the moment.


3 posted on 12/23/2015 7:49:59 AM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: conservativejoy

I like Cruz but:
“However, we have seen in recent months...”

This has been going on since the 90’s.
Someone is either lying to Cruz or he really doesn’t know what is going on.


4 posted on 12/23/2015 7:52:04 AM PST by Zathras
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To: conservativejoy

Good answer. It works for me.


5 posted on 12/23/2015 7:52:46 AM PST by boycott (--)
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To: conservativejoy
They can't stop CRUZ.
Source:

Let's get VERY CLEAR on TED CRUZ and Immigration: ALSO from On The Issues :



Let's take a close look at what TED CRUZ said at that time about his amendment to the "Gang of Eight amnesty/ citizenship bill" :
The intent was TO EXPOSE the "ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS" AND THE DemocRATS for their dishonesty.
THEY were trying to LEGISLATE the ILLEGAL ALIENS a PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP.

TED CRUZ was trying to amend the Bill so as TO STOP THEM,
6 posted on 12/23/2015 7:53:59 AM PST by Yosemitest (It's SIMPLE ! ... Fight, ... or Die !)
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To: Georgia Girl 2

There is a definite shortage of skilled trades though. I see a lot of opportunity for electricians in particular.

It seems everyone wants the white collar stuff.


7 posted on 12/23/2015 7:54:11 AM PST by Bulwyf
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To: conservativejoy

What I gathered from all the recent amnesty threads here is that Ted’s position didn’t change.


8 posted on 12/23/2015 7:54:24 AM PST by dynoman (Objectivity is the essence of intelligence. - Marylin vos Savant)
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To: conservativejoy

I worked for a Jap company in the ‘90s - Calsonic, Nissan’s largest supplier - and they regularly brought low-skill factory workers in from Japan on H1-B visas for their radiator plant in Shelbyville, Tennessee, rather than spend the time needed to train local workers.

I’d be surprised if they had changed...


9 posted on 12/23/2015 8:00:05 AM PST by Redbob (#BlackCoffeeMatters)
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To: conservativejoy

After a 180 days a wink and a nod to the Cheap-Labor-Express, business as usual.


10 posted on 12/23/2015 8:04:01 AM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
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To: HarleyLady27

The only cure for H1B abuse is to abolish it completely, period. I have warched it be abused for decades the only thing new is that it’s abuse finally got some national press recently.


11 posted on 12/23/2015 8:04:33 AM PST by HamiltonJay
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To: Georgia Girl 2

The other problem I have with it is that in May of this year he said he “RECENTLY” found out about the abuse.

We have been discussing it here on FR since at least February of this year and probably before that.

This means he is either out of touch or he flipped.


12 posted on 12/23/2015 8:05:54 AM PST by Amntn
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To: central_va

The Cruz/Sessions American Workers First Act changes the fundamentals of the program completely, so, no, it would not be business as usual.


13 posted on 12/23/2015 8:08:24 AM PST by conservativejoy (Pray Hard, Work Hard, Trust God ...We Can Elect Ted Cruz)
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To: dynoman

Well, the legislation speaks for itself.


14 posted on 12/23/2015 8:11:11 AM PST by conservativejoy (Pray Hard, Work Hard, Trust God ...We Can Elect Ted Cruz)
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To: HamiltonJay

I really don’t care who does it, we need to get rid of the immigration period....kick the people out, build the wall, and then revise our democrat made immigration laws that let these people in!!!

They can come thru the ‘big beautiful door’ but LEGALLY...and if the dems don’t like it, they can be kicked out also!!!


15 posted on 12/23/2015 8:13:49 AM PST by HarleyLady27 (.."THE FORCE AWAKENS"!!! TRUMP; TRUMP;TRUMP;TRUMP 100%....)
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To: conservativejoy

Lawyer/political speak for, “I’m running for the Presidency”.

And, as others had noted, if ‘recently’, then he’s too secluded from the real world to understand we don’t need to import when 90M+ are out of work.

And, don’t give me that ‘skilled’ labor B.S.. Out of 90M+, I would believe many would take up new schooling/apprenticeships/etc. if it meant food on the table, roof over head.


16 posted on 12/23/2015 8:14:14 AM PST by i_robot73 ("A man chooses. A slave obeys." - Andrew Ryan)
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To: HarleyLady27

Cruz: “It isn’t because Trump isn’t for it, so to be like Trump I can’t support H1B visa’s anymore”......”Me 2 Ted”
*********************************************************************************
Wow, I see you’re continuing your anti-Cruz jihad. And, IMHO, your insecurities are showing.


17 posted on 12/23/2015 8:25:08 AM PST by House Atreides (Cruz or lose! Do TG & Boogieman have to be asses every day?)
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To: Yosemitest

You’re trying to be reasonable with the anti-Cruz Jihadists. I’ve tried that and it’s a futile effort at this time. They’re gullible enough to believe anything that the despicable LIAR Marco Rubio tells them...solely because they WANT to believe it.


18 posted on 12/23/2015 8:30:04 AM PST by House Atreides (Cruz or lose! Do TG & Boogieman have to be asses every day?)
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To: House Atreides

They are not showing at all, the truth....look it up like the rest of us have....but I give you credit...your supporting your candidate and that’s a good thing to do....


19 posted on 12/23/2015 8:30:25 AM PST by HarleyLady27 (.."THE FORCE AWAKENS"!!! TRUMP; TRUMP;TRUMP;TRUMP 100%....)
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To: conservativejoy
[...] but medium to low skill workers, and IT workers [...]

I detect redundancy.

20 posted on 12/23/2015 8:34:54 AM PST by roamer_1 (Globalism is just Socialism in a business suit.)
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