While American graduates are getting laid off, major corporations continue to import foreign labor to substitute for them.

It’s no secret that the job market for recent graduates has been less promising than in recent years. At first glance, the effects of AI and automation may seem like a reasonable explanation for increased layoffs at billion-dollar finance and technology corporations. But instead of resorting to these new technologies, these large companies have recruited many immigrants on H-1B visas. These corporations have used these visas as a source of cheap labor to substitute for the high wages and benefits expected by American workers, as argued by the Trump administration. Although Trump has successfully reduced illegal immigration through the southern border, Americans have still been forced to compete with many legal immigrants in this job market, as Trump’s attempt to implement large fees on H-1B visas has not applied to foreigners applying within the United States.