Harm seen in visa decision
Local worksites employing foreign workers concerned over Trump suspension
Every summer, hundreds of foreign students arrive to this vacation destination — not to relax, but to work and immerse themselves in American culture.
It’s been a positive arrangement for both the students and Lake George residents, said Kathy Muncil, CEO of the Fort William Henry Hotel; the students make money that they often send back to their families, while local businesses depend on their patronage.
That won’t happen this year. President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order suspending several types of visa programs for foreign workers, claiming the move will make it easier for out-ofwork Americans to find jobs and get back on their feet as they attempt to recover from the economic devastation brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
But Muncil and other business leaders in the Capital Region say the executive order will have the opposite effect.
“It’s going to be a really difficult year for every business in our area because of the lack of students,” Muncil said. “It’s so poorly thought out, relative to small business, to
make this decision.”
Between 35 to 40 foreign students work at Fort William Henry every summer, in jobs ranging from staffing the front desk to waiting tables and housekeeping. But most of those students work multiple jobs, meaning Muncil expects to be out about 100 positions this year — amounting to 25 percent of her total workforce. She stressed that none of those jobs were ever being taken away from Americans.
“We would never, ever, replace an American with a foreign student,” Muncil said. “We’ve always been desperately (understaffed). We’ve always needed people.”
The suspension affects four types of visas crossing a variety of industries, from housekeepers and landscapers to doctors and scientists. H-1B visas are held by people in specialty occupations that require higher education; H-2B visas are for temporary, non-agriculture workers; L visas are typically held by folks who work at multinational companies and wish to move to a U.s.-based work location, while J visas are held by exchange visitors, including teachers and students.
The proclamation represents the latest effort by the Trump administration to curb legal immigration to America, following another executive order in 2017 barring travel from several Muslim-majority countries and a ban this April on the issuance of new green cards, which was also extended to the end of the year as part of this week’s executive order.
Trump’s own businesses have hired dozens of H-2B visa holders, the Palm Beach Post in Florida reported. H-1B visas are popular among American technology companies, and the president’s order was criticized by big-tech executives from Amazon, Microsoft, Twitter, Tesla and Google parent Alphabet.
Locally, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Albany Medical Center and St. Peter’s Health Partners said they were all reviewing the executive order to determine how they would be affected. The University at Albany employed 33 H-1B visa holders as of April 1, but since the visa is effective for six years, only a handful are added every year, spokesman Jordan Carleo-evangelist said. Another eight H-1B holders are employed through the Ualbany SUNY Research Foundation, with hopes to submit another five petitions this year.
“In terms of impact, it’s too soon to know for sure, but it’s something we will keep a keen eye on given how important international teaching and research partnerships are at any major research institution,” Carleo-evangelist said.
One industry that relies heavily on foreign workers, farm working, will not see a major impact as those employees are typically hired with H-2A visas, which are not included in the president’s order.
“The new suspensions though may cause some issues for farms that hire labor through the other visa programs to assist in their agritourism operations or horticulture businesses,” said Steve Ammerman, a spokesman for the New York Farm Bureau. “We will be closely monitoring to see
“Even when unemployment was very low, there was still a great need at a lot of our resort properties to attain workers from the visa programs.” — Mark Dorr, president of the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association.
if our members are affected and will reach out to our congressional representatives as well as to the White House to try and resolve the situation.”
The order ‘s biggest blow will be dealt to the Capital Region’s tourism and hotel industries, which are already struggling to get back on their feet and retain customers as they continue to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
“Even when unemployment was very low, there was still a great need at a lot of our resort properties to attain workers from the visa programs,” said Mark Dorr, president of the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association.
Lake George alone hosted 1,400 J-1 visa students last year, who accounted for nearly $3 million in regional economic impact, Mayor Robert Blais said.
Muncil, the Fort William Henry CEO, said she wishes the government had simply made the effort to talk to small business owners before its ham-fisted efforts to limit foreign workers.
“If someone would just take a small business person aside and say, ‘What do you think of these things?’ we could solve a lot of these problems before they come up,” Muncil said.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, whose district includes Lake George and who is usually a staunch ally of the president, told the Times Union shortly after the order was passed that she disagreed with the decision and recognized the important role foreign visa holders play in the local economy. On Thursday, following advocacy from the congresswoman, the Trump administration said Canadian workers would not be affected by the executive order.
Foreign workers hold a special place in the Lake George community every summer. Fort William Henry hosts a picnic every year featuring food from all the cultures represented by the students. Muncil remembers the days after 9/11, in which about 40 students were stuck at the resort, unable to travel and broke after having already sent their money home.
The community came together, answered sad phone calls from the students’ parents and took care of them, Muncil said.
“They’re wonderful young people and we’re going to miss them,” she said. “You know who’s going to miss them more? The older mom-and-pop shops.”