Senator Barbara Boxer

We don’t support bills that increase foreign workers, particularly those that favor one nationality over another. That’s what Sen. Brown’s E-3 visa bill is and we hope you will oppose it.

Sen. Brown’s bill would create an additional 10,500 visas every year just for the Irish, including some who are currently working in the U.S. illegally, by adding Ireland to the E-3 visa category.

The E-3 visa was created by the Bush Administration, which wanted to thank Australia for participating in the Iraq war by providing job opportunities to Australian citizens. The war is over but the visa remains. It was a bad idea then and is a bad idea now, especially with 22 million Americans unable to find full-time employment.

Sen. Brown’s bill is cheap pandering to a narrow ethnic lobby. The Senate should be ashamed for considering it with unemployment above 8 percent.

Phone me if you would like to talk about this.

Greg Raven, Apple Valley, CA