An Open Letter to CD17 Congressman Mike Honda


Alex Chen-1199  11/18   8404  
4.5/2 



2015/11/18
To:
Representative Michael Honda
California’s 17th Congressional District
From:
Alex Chen, A Principal IC Engineer from CD17

 

Honorable Representative Congressman Honda,
       I am an engineer residing in your district. On Nov 10th, I sent you a message via email to express my years of concern about H-1B abuse. Also, I forwarded you two recent news(a) from NY Times which validated my concern. Unfortunately, I have not got any response from you or your staffs yet. It's fine since I know you should have been very busy.
 
       Yesterday, my friend told me there was a new bill(b) introduced - The H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act. After some study, I found it's a reintroduced bill by Senator Grassley. Though it's not new, it is hitting the right timing, because we now have much media coverage and evidence to prove that our H-1B visa program has been abused for many years, especially by those outsourcing companies. This kind of abuse has caused many Americans to lose their jobs, especially those high-tech constituents who live in CD17 since your district represents the heart of Silicon Valley.
 
       "The H-1B visa program was never meant to replace qualified American workers, but it was instead intended as a means to fill gaps in highly specialized areas of employment that cannot be filled by Americans. The abuse of the system is real, and media reports are validating what we have argued against for years, including the fact that Americans are training their replacements. There’s a sense of urgency here for Americans who are losing their jobs to lesser skilled workers who are coming in at lower wages on a visa program that has gotten away from its original intent.  Reform of the H-1B visa program must be a priority."  --Grassley
 
       I, representing many of my colleagues and friends in your district, am writing to urge you to support this bill. Also, please help persuade your colleagues and allies in congress to support this Act. It is about the future and continuing prosperity of Silicon Valley and this country.
 
Sincerely
Alex

 

A1)http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/11/06/us/outsourcing-companies-dominate-h1b-visas.html?_r=0&from=groupmessage&isappinstalled=0
A2)http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/11/11/us/large-companies-game-h-1b-visa-program-leaving-smaller-ones-in-the-cold.html?_r=1&referer&from=groupmessage&isappinstalled=0
 
B1) http://blogs.wsj.com/briefly/2015/11/16/h-1b-visa-reform-bill-at-a-glance/?mod=e2fb
B2)http://www.grassley.senate.gov/sites/default/files/judiciary/upload/Immigration%2C%2011-10-15%2C%20H-1B%20bill%20text%20as%20introduced.pdf