Background on Key Figures and Context
Since Donald Trump assumed the U.S. presidency, more than two million undocumented immigrants have left the United States, either voluntarily or through deportation. This information comes from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announcement on September 23rd.
Joe Biden, a Democrat, previously served as Vice President under Barack Obama. The DHS took a phone application initiated by the Biden administration, which welcomed asylum seekers, and transformed it into an “self-deportation” app under Trump’s administration. This app allowed undocumented immigrants to inform the government of their willingness to leave the country.
According to a DHS spokesperson, “tens of thousands of illegal aliens have used the CBP Home app.” The 1.6 million figure stems from calculations by the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services), which handles residency or citizenship application requests.
Trump Administration’s Visa Policy Changes
In addition to the mass exodus of migrants, the Trump administration proposed revising the H-1B visa selection process to favor highly skilled and well-compensated workers. This proposal was announced through the Federal Register.
The new process aims to prioritize employer applications offering higher salaries if the annual visa petitions exceed the legal limit of 85,000. The goal is to safeguard American jobs from unfair salary competition posed by foreign workers.
Major tech companies warned H-1B visa holders to remain in the U.S. or return quickly, triggering a chaotic scramble for re-entry into the country.
Key Questions and Answers
- Who are the key figures mentioned? Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Jair Bolsonaro (Brazil’s former president).
- What is the context of the article? The article discusses the departure of over 2 million undocumented immigrants from the U.S. since Trump’s inauguration and the Trump administration’s proposed changes to the H-1B visa selection process.
- What changes did the Trump administration propose for H-1B visas? The proposed changes aim to prioritize highly skilled and well-compensated workers by giving more weight to employer applications offering higher salaries when annual visa petitions exceed the legal limit of 85,000.
- What was the reaction of major tech companies to these proposed changes? Major tech companies warned H-1B visa holders to stay in the U.S. or return quickly, causing confusion and chaos for those trying to re-enter the country.
