US lawmakers criticise Trump administration’s PERM restrictions on tech firms

Democratic lawmakers Pramila Jayapal and Suzan DelBene have criticised the Trump administration's suspension of Microsoft, Adobe and other companies from the PERM programme, warning that the restrictions could disrupt families, threaten legal immigration pathways and undermine American innovation

Washington: Two Democratic lawmakers have sharply criticised the Trump administration’s decision to suspend Microsoft and other technology companies from a key employment-based green-card programme, warning that the move threatens legal immigration pathways for skilled foreign professionals already working in the United States.

Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Suzan DelBene, both from Washington state, said Thursday that the restrictions could hurt American innovation, disrupt families and create uncertainty for workers seeking permanent residency.

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The administration’s action affects the Permanent Labour Certification programme, known as PERM, which employers use to sponsor foreign workers for certain employment-based green cards.

Jayapal, the ranking Democrat on the House immigration subcommittee, said the decision represented another attempt to restrict legal immigration.

“This is a crucial issue for me as the top Democrat on the Immigration Subcommittee, the only member of Congress to have actually had an H-1B visa, and the Representative for tens of thousands of Microsoft workers,” she said.

Jayapal, an Indian-American lawmaker who represents a Seattle-area congressional district, said the programme provides an established process for foreign professionals seeking permanent residency while protecting American workers.

“The PERM program is the first step toward an employment-based green card for countless workers who want to contribute to this country, and it lays out a clear process with steps to ensure that this is a net benefit to our economy and does not harm American jobs,” she said.

She argued that the administration’s action would make it harder for immigrants to contribute their skills to the American economy.

“You don’t fix a broken immigration system by taking a hammer to legal immigration,” Jayapal said.

She also defended Microsoft’s longstanding support for immigration reform, saying the company had advocated modernising the system and expanding lawful opportunities for foreign workers.

“Targeting Microsoft or the PERM program in this way simply undermines legal immigration and weakens America’s ability to innovate,” she said.

DelBene, whose district includes a substantial technology industry presence, also condemned the suspension.

“The Trump administration’s action today is an attack on current H-1B visa holders already in the United States,” she said.

“Haphazardly taking away the pathway to a lawful green card for skilled workers at certain American companies is a biased and punitive misuse of the law.”

DelBene said the restrictions would not address alleged abuse of the H-1B visa programme.

“Let’s be clear: this move will have no impact on purported H-1B visa abuse,” she said.

She argued that the decision would instead undermine an established legal process allowing skilled workers to remain in the United States with their families.

“This will inject even more uncertainty into our already turbulent economy while hamstringing innovation, competitiveness, and ultimately American workers,” DelBene said.

The lawmakers’ statements came after the administration suspended Microsoft, Adobe and other companies from participating in the PERM programme.

The action does not automatically cancel existing H-1B visas. Its immediate implications concern employer access to a labour certification process used for certain permanent residency applications.

The H-1B programme allows American employers to recruit foreign professionals for specialised occupations, including technology, engineering and scientific research.