Federal Program Gives Summer Jobs to 100,000 Foreign Student

[st louis steve]

Federal Program Gives Summer Jobs to 100,000 Foreign Students- no work for our kids

Summer jobs for foreigners crowd out Americans
State Department program, though well intentioned, is out of control
February 13, 2012|By Jerry Kammer http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-0 ... annual-job
February may seem a little early to start thinking about summer jobs. But a "cultural exchange" program run by the State Department is already filling jobs in Ocean City and elsewhere — jobs that will not be available when American kids start looking for work.

Foreign students admitted through the Summer Work Travel (SWT) program work not only at nearby beaches but all over the country, at restaurants, convenience shops, supermarkets, moving companies, roadside vegetable stands, factories, fish processing plants, and — until recently — at a distribution center for Hershey candy. Hershey ended the program after a protest by SWT workers drew international attention to their claims that they were being overworked and mistreated.After years of mounting problems, the State Department is finally conducting a reevaluation of the program that every year brings more than 100,000 foreign college students to the U.S. to work in seasonal jobs and tour the country. In addition to exploitation of some participants, those problems include an almost complete disregard of the program's impact on American young people seeking the same jobs.





Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate ReleaseJanuary 05, 2012
We Can't Wait: The White House Announces Federal and Private Sector Commitments to Provide Employment Opportunities for Nearly 180,000 Youth

Today, the White House announced Summer Jobs+, a new call to action for businesses, non-profits, and government to work together to provide pathways to employment for low-income and disconnected youth in the summer of 2012. The President proposed $1.5 billion for high-impact summer jobs and year-round employment for low-income youth ages 16-24 in the American Jobs Act as part of the Pathways Back to Work fund. When Congress failed to act, the Federal government and private sector came together to commit to creating nearly 180,000 employment opportunities for low-income youth in the summer of 2012, with a goal of reaching 250,000 employment opportunities by the start of summer, at least 100,000 of which will be placements in paid jobs and internships. Today’s announcement is the latest in a series of executive actions the Obama Administration is taking to strengthen the economy and move the country forward because we can’t wait for Congress to ac http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-off ... commitment Federal Program Gives Summer Jobs to Foreign Students

While young people in the United States are suffering record levels of unemployment, the State Department is already hiring foreign students for summer jobs that won’t be available when Americans start looking for summer work later this year.
The Summer Work Travel (SWT) program each year admits more than 100,000 students from around the world to work at American beaches, restaurants, convenience stores, supermarkets, factories, and other establishments.
The State Department calls SWT a “cultural exchange” intended to showcase the American way of life and win friends among future world leaders.
State Department-designated sponsoring agencies team with foreign partners to recruit students, help them obtain visas, and match them with employees.
Participants and their employers are exempt from Social Security, Medicare, and federal unemployment taxes, according to Jerry Kammer, a senior research fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies.
“Unfortunately, as the program has boomed — from about 20,000 in 1996 to a peak of 153,000 in 2008 — it has denied a place in the workforce for many American young people, who are now suffering record levels of unemployment,” Kammer writes in the Baltimore Sun.
One parent who spoke with Kammer, Sarah Ann Smith, said her teenage son’s dishwashing schedule at a restaurant went from 24 hours a week before SWT workers arrived to zero hours after six foreigners began working there.
“It’s wrong to have a program that allows foreign kids to come in and take jobs that American kids need,” said Smith. “SWT is out of control.”
Fortunately, the State Department is now conducting a review of the SWT program.
“Much of our nation’s immigration policy — for both temporary visitors and permanent residents — is made with little concern for its impact on American society,” Kammer observes.
“Reevaluating SWT is a first step toward changing that.”

[st louis steve]

OUTRAGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!I CAN'T BELEIVE State Department CAN DO THINGS LIKE THAT.........THERE'S NO CONCERN ABOUT AMERICANS JUST FOREIGNORS.......idiocy, in my humble opinion!!!

[burien1]

I could understand this if we had a booming economy and extremely low unemployment figures. But NOT right now, with unemployment among the young at such high levels. Insanity.

[GodsStudent]

Provacative.....provocation.......IMO.

[Exit40]

out of touch with reality.

God Bless

David

[T-Minus?]

What else can we expect when we have a foreign exchange student occupying the White House? Maranatha!!