Grassroots Groups Fight Visa Increase

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June 12, 2000 (2:55 PM EDT)

By Terry Costlow,

Internet-based grassroots opposition to the increase in H-1B temporary visas granted to foreign workers is growing. But given the big guns lined up to defend a bill going before the Senate, opponents to the legislation -- who conduct their campaign largely via the Web -- fear its passage is all but guaranteed.

"We're in a fight we don't have a chance to win," said Richard Tax, vice president of the American Engineering Association, "but we'll continue to fight with slingshots and arrows." Tax also said he couldn't "understand why a U.S. congressman would vote for something that is so much against American workers."

The bill would raise the ceiling on H-1B visas from 115,000 this year to 200,000 between 2001 and 2003. Supporters of the bill turned up their lobbying efforts last week, with big-name industry officials signing a joint letter urging the passage of S.2045 -- or the American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act -- by the end of the month. Those supporters include the presidents of the American Electronics Association, Computer and Communications Industry Association, Consumer Electronics Association, Information Technology Association of America, Semiconductor Industry Association, and TechNet.

Fighting against this army is a loosely organized militia that gets the word out through makeshift websites and congressional petitions. Typical is the four-person group (led by a mathematician) that established zazona.com late last month. The site, supported by the American Engineering Association and the Programmer Guild, circulates petitions asking Congress to abolish the H-1B program and to curtail immigration.

The "shocking state of American job markets in science and engineering is already causing the rising generation of Americans to avoid the noble professions of science and technology altogether," the group said.

Organizer Damon Scott became interested in immigration when he was laid off from his job as a math professor. "This effort just kind of evolved," he said. "Lots of people are doing little things, and this is my contribution to saving American jobs." Scott forwards signed petitions to Congress as they come in -- but seven days after the site went live, the number of signatures remains low.

NumbersUSA.com, Arlington, Va., which works to decrease immigration overall, has also targeted H-1B.

"We want to help people get their views to Congress," said Roy Beck, director of NumbersUSA.com. "We know American workers don't have much of a voice in Congress. The people who hold sway have large amounts of money."