(WBTW) — South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham criticized President Trump’s decision on immigration in a Twitter thread Monday evening.
“Legal immigration is a positive for the American economy, and visa programs allowing American companies to secure qualified, legal labor throughout the world have benefited economic growth in the United States,” Graham tweeted.
“Those who believe legal immigration, particularly work visas, are harmful to the American worker do not understand the American economy. Work visas for temporary and seasonal jobs covering industries like hospitality, forestry, and many economic sectors can only be used after American workers have had a chance to fill the job position.”
Graham went on to say that visa programs played a big role in creating the strongest economy “in generations” before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Unfortunately, I fear the president’s decision today to temporarily shut down these programs will create a drag on our economic recovery,” Graham tweeted.
Graham said this decision could lead to a higher cost of consumer goods instead of leading to employment for Americans. He also said that those policies that were successful should be used today.
“This decision, in my view, will have a chilling effect on our economic recovery at a time we should be doing all we can to restore the economy,” Graham said.
This criticism comes after the Trump administration extended a ban Monday on green cards issued outside of the U.S. until the end of the year.
