Please see the letter from Reps. Harris (R-MD), Pingree (D-ME), Bergman (D-MI) and Keating (D-MA) and Senators King (I-ME) and Rounds (R-SD). The letter to the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security requests the immediate release of all additional H-2B visas authorized under the law. If H-2B supporters can collect a large number of signatures from Senators and Representatives, it will send a clear message to the Department of Homeland Security that we need quick action to address the H-2B cap.

How you can help

Please call your Representative and two Senators and ask them to sign the Harris-Pingree-Bergman-Keating-King-Rounds H-2B letter to DHS. The deadline for signatures is Thursday, January 16.

You can reach your elected officials through the Capitol switchboard at 202-225-3121. Once connected to the office, ask to speak to the staff person who handles H-2B issues. This staffer will generally be the person who works on immigration policy issues. See the contact list for Colorado Congressional delegation for direct numbers to each office.

Please tweet about this issue and urge your network to contact their representatives as well.

Below are sample tweets provided by the H-2B Workforce Coalition aimed at elected officials. You can also include your representatives in your tweet.

Sample Tweets

• @DHS_Wolf @dhsgov @USCIS @SecGeneScalia @USDOL @realDonaldTrump #SaveH2B and save the spring and summer. Additional H-2B visas are needed now to save US jobs.
• @DHS_Wolf @dhsgov @USCIS @SecGeneScalia @USDOL @realDonaldTrump Every H-2B worker creates and sustains 4.64 American jobs. More H-2B visas are needed now to save American businesses and American jobs. #saveH2B
• @DHS_Wolf @dhsgov @USCIS @SecGeneScalia @USDOL @realDonaldTrump #SaveH2B and save American seasonal businesses. More H-2B visas are needed now.
• @DHS_Wolf @dhsgov @USCIS @SecGeneScalia @USDOL @realDonaldTrump From Jan. 1-5 DOL received requests for 99,362 H-2B workers for 33,000 visa slots. Increase the cap now or US businesses and US workers will suffer. #saveH2B

See also some additional information released by DOL yesterday on its website.

January 8, 2020. OFLC Publishes List of Randomized H-2B Applications Submitted January 2-4 for Employers Seeking H-2B Workers Starting April 1, 2020
To keep the public informed regarding the submission and assignment of H-2B applications for review, the Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) published the assignment group(s) for 5,677 H-2B applications covering 99,362 worker positions with the start date of work of April 1, 2020.

Following the randomization procedures published in the Federal Register on March 4, 2019, OFLC completed the randomization process on January 6 and assigned to National Processing Center analysts all H-2B applications placed in Assignment Group A for issuance of Notices of Deficiency or Acceptance. Group A includes enough worker positions to reach the H-2B semi-annual visa allotment of 33,000. Four additional Assignment Groups were created for the remaining applications, each of which includes no more than 20,000 worker positions.

On January 6, 2020, OFLC provided written notice to each employer (and the employer's authorized attorney or agent) informing them about the Assignment Group for their application(s).

• View the Assignment Groups for H-2B Applications Submitted January 2-4, 2020

As always, thank you for your continued efforts to support H-2B reform.

Warm Regards,
John

John McMahon | Chief Executive Officer
Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado