A College Dean, Congressman, and Immigration Lawyer Gaslight and Gatekeep American Workers from Technology Jobs

Via US Techworkers

by Kevin Lynn

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of gaslighting is:

To psychologically manipulate (a person) usually over an extended period of time so that the victim questions the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and experiences confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, and doubts concerning their own emotional or mental stability: to subject (someone) to gaslighting

Last week, I along with several U.S. Tech Workers activists and others attended ‘Critical Issues in the U.S. H-1B Visa Program’, a webinar hosted by the University of California San Diego, School of Global Policy and Strategy.

At first glance, the title suggested a critical look at the H-1B Visa program, and I expected the discussion to include a hashing out of the good, the bad, and the ugly. But titles can be misleading and if I’ve learned anything from reading history books, the author’s point of view matters.

The icing on the cake, though, were the panelists. One was Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, who has a well-documented history of carrying the water for outsourcing interests like ITServe Alliance, the largest association of IT service organizations. In other words, he’s proud to be recognized for helping outsource American jobs!  Krishnamoorthi was joined by a World Bank economist, a School of Global Policy and Strategy economics professor and the dean of the School of Global Policy and Strategy.

Billed as follows, you could’ve introduced the webinar as, “let the gaslighting begin”, or so they thought!
“. . . current research shows that H-1B workers complement U.S. workers and expand job opportunities for all. In this panel, discussion will center on how foreign workers fill a critical need in the U.S. labor market, particularly in the science, technology, engineering and math fields – commonly referred to as STEM – and how with a low statutory limit of visa numbers available, demand for H-1B visa numbers has outstripped the supply in recent years.”

And, while I imagine the moderator and panelists’ intent was to accentuate the positives of H-1B visas and propagandize how they benefit the U.S., they never got there.

Their attempt to gaslight us with their outright lies and distortion of the facts were thwarted from the start. The sheer volume of our questions halted things and forced them instead to address the offshoring and outsourcing concerns of U.S. workers!

Halfway through, it became clear we had them on the ropes. Rep. Krishnamoorthi started ducking in and out to “go vote” on House bills and panelist, Çağlar Özden, Lead Economist, Development Economics at the World Bank, brought up the need for reform, namely, ending the random H-1B visa lottery, which closely resembled a Trump era rule change that’s since been killed by the Biden administration!

Congressman Krishnamoorthy further tried to deter us when he said we needed to use H-1B visas to fill high-skilled technology job positions, or those jobs would eventually be offshored altogether. It’s a false dichotomy as in practice, the H-1B visa perpetuates job offshoring via knowledge transfer.

It’s obvious the University of California is in bed with Silicon Valley and thus it was no surprise the school was a willing participant in this gaslighting extravaganza. In 2021, they received a $14 million gift  from Irwin Jacobs, former chairman and co-founder of the semiconductor giant Qualcomm.  Qualcomm is known for turning its back on U.S. tech workers, famously firing 4,500 employees in 2015 — 15% of their workforce, while simultaneously demanding and lobbying for more H-1B workers. They’re one of the top users of the H-1B visa and the “fifth-largest user of H-1B talent among major U.S. multinational companies.”  And their influence extends beyond academia.  Jacobs spent around four million dollars in Super PAC donations to elect his granddaughter to Congress. When Irwin calls, the congresswoman and the dean pick-up the phone.

Gaslighting is the tool du jour of globalists who are intent on driving down wages through uninhibited movement of people across borders.  Leon Fresco, an immigration lawyer at Holland & Knight, LLP and former Department of Justice employee, makes his living gaslighting on the topic of employment visas.

He’s infamous for lobbying on behalf of the “Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act” that aims to remove the 7% country cap quotas for employment-based Green Cards, that would give nationals from India a near monopoly on newly issued Green Cards for the next decade or so.  He recently  tweeted  ten things those in the Green Card log jam can’t do without risking deportation – and a number of them are all wet:

1. Claim: They cannot change jobs.
   Truth: The America Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act allows someone who has filed for a Green Card application to switch to the same or similar job after 180 days without affecting the application. Net, net, they can transfer their spot in line and at no risk of having to go back to the end of the queue.
2. Claim: They can’t travel abroad to visit dying relatives.
   Truth: Those waiting for a Green Card can travel outside the U.S. by filling out an Advance Parole Document. In the off chance they are not at the stage where they can apply for Advance Parole and have been approved H-1B Notice (Form I-797), they’re able to return to their home countries and seek a visa stamp at a US Consulate and can then return to the U.S. assuming their U.S. is current and their passport is not expired.
3. Claim: They can’t develop and file patents.
   Truth: Anyone in the U.S. can file for a patent. U.S. patents may be awarded to anyone who qualifies, regardless of nationality or immigration status.
4. Claim: Their children can’t participate in sports.
   Truth: Fresco is insinuating the children of H-1B workers awaiting Green Cards can’t participate in varsity sports at their schools. This is laughable as no coach or school asks about the immigration status of their athletes. Furthermore, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) welcomed foreign nationals to compete.

Fresco is the very definition of a beltway crapweasel, a term coined by journalist Michelle Malkin in her book “Sold Out”, which exposes the high-skill immigration scam. His habit of playing fast and loose with the facts is catching up with him.  Even H-1B expansion proponents are now distancing themselves from him.

The way in which the corporatocracy gaslights U.S. tech workers isn’t very different from the way a spouse gaslights their partner. Psychologically wearing one down and reducing their self-esteem to a point where they’re compliant and unable to fight back, leads to these outcomes:

• You’re made to believe that you’re not competent enough.
• You find yourself feeling confused about your career choice and the value you bring.
• You think you’re at fault for everything that is wrong in the company.
• You always find yourself apologizing.
• You wonder if you are good enough.
• You avoid expressing your emotions to avoid conflict.

The way to fight gaslighting is with the truth and it takes all of us. If it had only been one of us asking a question last week, we wouldn’t have been effective.  U.S. Tech Workers was successful last week because we were a united front and together we hammered away at the panelists’ outright lies and distorted facts.

The motto on the Great Seal of the United States says it all – E pluribus unum, out of the many, one.  Let this be our model going forward!

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