Obama-appointed judge sides with Trump on $100,000 visa fee for foreign workers

TLDR:

• Federal judge upholds Trump’s $100,000 fee for new H-1B high-skilled visa workers
• Obama appointee Judge Beryl Howell ruled the president has broad authority over foreign worker entry
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce lawsuit rejected despite economic concerns about worker shortage
• Fee aims to make American workers more attractive by making foreign hires more expensive

A federal judge has upheld President Trump’s $100,000 fee for certain high-skilled foreign workers, dealing a blow to business groups who argued the policy would harm the economy.

Judge Beryl Howell, an Obama appointee, ruled Tuesday that Mr. Trump acted within his legal authority when he imposed the fee on new H-1B visa holders entering the country. The decision rejected a challenge from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“So long as the actions dictated by the policy decision and articulated in the Proclamation fit within the confines of the law, the Proclamation must be upheld,” Judge Howell wrote.

The H-1B program allows tech companies and universities to hire foreign workers with specialized skills. Critics say it undercuts American workers by offering jobs at lower wages.

The new fee applies only to workers not yet in the U.S. Companies won’t pay to extend current visa holders’ permits.

The Chamber argued the country needs these workers and that Mr. Trump’s decision violated federal procedural law. Judge Howell acknowledged the economic concerns but said that’s a political matter, not a legal one.

Mr. Trump has sent mixed signals on the program, recently calling support for high-skilled workers “MAGA” while earlier declaring the H-1B program “out of control.”

Read more:

• Judge sustains Trump’s $100,000 fee for high-skilled migrant guest workers