MIAMI ( AP )— The , social media company  , founded by former President Donald Trump applied for a business visa program that he , sought to restrict during his administration  , and which many of his allies want him to curtail in a potential second term.
Trump Media &, Technology Group, the firm behind Truth Social, filed an application in June 2022 for an H- 1B card for a contractor at a$ 65, 000 yearly salary, the lowest income group allowed under the plan. According to national immigration information, the business received a visa application a few months later. The employer claims to have not hired the employee.
Filing for the card sets the picture of Trump the participant, who has  , proposed a mercantilist agenda , for firms to “hire American”, in discord with Trump the merchant, who has said his businesses will use every resource at their disposal. According to records, Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and White House adviser, also applied for and received approval to hire a foreigner as an associate under the same visa program.
Trump Media &, Technology Group said in a statement the application “was made under prior management”, even though the current CEO, former House Intelligence Committee chairman and longtime Trump ally Devin Nunes, was  , already leading the company  , at the time the application was first filed with the U. S. Department of Labor.
The business has never hired an H-1B visa program employee and has no plans to do so. When current management learned of this application, which was made under prior management, it swiftly terminated the process in November 2022″, the company said in a statement.
An H- 1B visa petition can cost companies about$ 5, 000 per employee. Even after petitions are approved, companies can resign. U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services records data does n’t note when visas are revoked. But a spokeswoman for the Labor Department, which also tracks H- 1B applications, said they had no records of Truth Social requesting a withdrawal.
A COMMON TOOL FOR TECH COMPANIES
Tech companies commonly hire employees , using the H- 1B program. According to a review of petitions filed since 2009, Trump has never concealed the fact that he used the visas before becoming president, using them mostly to hire foreign models and a select few workers for his hotels and resorts.
However, prior to Truth Social being established, his companies appeared to have no longer petitioned for H-1B visas. With exceptions to renew existing applications
According to information from the Labor Department, Trump Media &, Technology Group submitted an application for a worker with a salary of$ 65,000. It lists as the employer Will Wilkerson, a company co- founder and former senior vice president of operations, and an Atlanta address as the job’s location.
Wilkerson filed a whistleblower complaint in August 2022 with the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission, alleging securities violations by the company. He was fired, according to The Washington Post, and is cooperating with federal authorities. His lawyers said he would not comment.
‘ I SHOULDN’T BE ALLOWED TO USE IT ‘
Trump frequently mentions the illegal arrivals of immigrants who cross the U.S. border, but his policy proposals while in office also included restrictions on legal immigration like family-based visas and the visa lottery program.
In a 2016 primary debate, Trump spoke about the H- 1B visa program and said it was “very bad” and “unfair” for U. S. workers.
” First of all, I think and I know the H- 1B very well. And I should n’t be able to use it because it’s something I use without being embarrassed. We should n’t have it”, he said. ” Second of all, I think it’s very important to say, well, I’m a businessman and I have to do what I have to do”.
Trump issued his” Buy American and Hire American” executive order three months after taking office, which mandated that Cabinet members work together to change the rules to allow the highest-paid or most qualified applicants to protect American workers. He has previously claimed that tech companies employed foreign workers for lower salaries.
A study by the nonpartisan National Foundation for American Policy found that during his administration, the government was more closely monitoring cases by launching requests for more information from businesses that hired foreign workers and rejecting more petitions.
The H- 1B program should be transformed into an elite mechanism only to bring in the “best and brightest” at the highest wages while keeping U.S. workers from being dedisadvantaged by the program, according to the” Project 2025″ handbook, which was compiled by allies preparing for Trump’s potential transition to power.
More than 60 % of all visa applications are granted, according to Nicolas Morales, an economist with a focus on labor and migration at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and a member of the professional, scientific, and technical services sectors. Morales claimed that he has found that the visa program has helped small businesses stay in business.
” Winning the H- 1B lottery actually helps them. It increases their chances of survival”, he said. They are more likely to remain active in the next five years, especially small businesses that are heavily reliant on skilled labor.
The applicants demand that employers prove that they will offer foreign workers the same benefits as American workers and pay them more than what they would for comparable positions and pay, or more than the typical wage for that line of work. Additionally, businesses are required to post a notice of the filing to the employees by posting a notice in two locations near the place of employment.
Companies that offer salaries in the lower wage categories to foreign workers are the subject of a lot of the criticism directed at the H- 1B program. The Kushner’s investment firm’s request to employ a foreign employee appears to be in line with that complaint.
The Labor Department certified a document in which Kushner’s investment company stated that it would pay this employee a$ 200, 000 salary, which is considered to be the highest wage level for H-1B visas, which are typically reserved for those with senior responsibilities and are experts in their field. The company was granted a visa, according to recent information from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Kushner has been applying for Balkans tourism projects despite not joining the Trump campaign and pursuing his own business interests.
