‘Fixing broken immigration by taking hammer to it’: Lawmaker defends Microsoft after Trump’s Green Card move

US democratic lawmaker Pramila Jayapal has criticised the Trump administration’s decision to suspend eight IT firms, including Microsoft, Tata, Infosys and Wipro, from a programme linked to employment-based green cards for foreign workers, saying the move undermines legal immigration.The decision, announced by vice president JD Vance on Thursday, targets the Permanent Labor Certification Program (PERM), which is the first step towards obtaining an employment-based green card. The administration has accused major technology and outsourcing companies of abusing the visa system at the expense of American workers.Jayapal, who represents Washington state, said the technology giant had been a leader in advocating comprehensive immigration reforms.“You don’t fix a broken immigration system by taking a hammer to legal immigration,” she said.'Admin restricting legal pathways'Jayapal accused the Trump administration of repeatedly working to restrict legal pathways for immigrants seeking to contribute their skills to the US, describing the suspension as another such attack.She said Microsoft had supported reforms to modernise what she called an antiquated immigration system and create more, rather than fewer, legal avenues for people from across the world to work in the US and reunite with their families.The PERM programme establishes a process for employers seeking to hire foreign workers for permanent positions, with safeguards intended to ensure that hiring them does not adversely affect American workers, Jayapal said.“Our economy, our communities, and our families depend on immigrants in many sectors, including the tech sector, and heavy-handed attacks like this only hurt efforts to build a strong, stable, and diverse base of workers who have legal pathways to come and be in the United States while also protecting US workers from unscrupulous employers,” she said.Jayapal added that targeting Microsoft or the PERM programme would undermine legal immigration and weaken America’s ability to innovate.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.