While we're on the subject, it appears Trump was also an abuser of the H-1B visas program prior to becoming President:


Trump Agency pays foreign model wages below poverty line

Mar18

by friendoftheimmigrant


Donald Trump has made several loud statements in opposition to immigration. In fact, on his website you can find a section titled “Put America’s Workers First,” with a subsection on increasing prevailing wages for H-1B’s. It’s a pretty typical move, but what Mr. Trump seems to have forgotten is that his own company, Trump Model Management, has been using the H-1B visa for years to lure in exotic models and pass them through the border without a hitch. He has hired roughly 30 foreign models in the past 8 years.

The basis of an H-1B visa is to have workers from foreign countries come to America only after a specific company requests them personally, promises to pay a certain wage, and goes through the paperwork process through the USCIS and Department of Labor. Trump’s agency went through all of the steps, but as model Alexia Palmer, a recipient of Trump’s “generosity” points out, they do not always keep up their end of the bargain.
The company petitioning for the H-1B visa on behalf of the foreign employee must pay the employee either the promised amount submitted on the application or the “prevailing wage” as determined by the Department of Labor, whichever is higher. The prevailing wage is the lowest amount the employee can be paid. Trump’s agency stated on their application, which is signed under penalty of perjury, that Palmer would be paid $75,000 per year. The prevailing wage was $45,000. The reality of the situation? Palmer was paid roughly $30,000…in a total of three years. Even if, as Trump’s spokespeople have stated, Palmer did not bring in the number of jobs they’d hoped for, the agency is still legally required to pay her the $75,000 a year. They not only broke the law, they paid an immigrant who is legally bound to work for only Trump Model management as a condition of her visa a wage below the poverty line ($11,770/yr as of 2015). And so begins the lawsuit.



So Trump fudged some paperwork, it’s been said that the number given was a “guesstimate,” and this woman is barely being paid enough to live in the US. Now Trump has the audacity to put on his website that the US should “increase prevailing wages for H-1Bs” When he himself doesn’t pay the current prevailing wage? If he thinks people will pay a higher prevailing wage as a way to put more Americans to work, he should really look in a mirror. Increasing the prevailing wage will almost certainly cause more people to “fudge” on the application and then just pay whatever they want to pay, just as Trump did. This is not an isolated instance and is actually common with these types of visas. These occurrences are likely to grow once the prevailing wage is higher. So what do you think about his H-1B plan? Leave your comments below.

Original CNN story
Trump’s site on Immigration Reform
Written by: Bailey Nunez

https://friendoftheimmigrant.wordpre...overty-line-2/