WASHINGTON, D.C. – In case you missed it, Senator Rick Scott wrote an op-ed for the Miami Herald on his opposition to the current version of the “Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act,” which could hurt Florida’s workers and economic success.

In the op-ed, Senator Rick Scott wrote, “I am proud to represent Florida, a state that celebrates diversity. We’re a state that welcomes immigrants from around the world, and has succeeded because of their many contributions. As governor and now as a member of the U.S. Senate, it is my job to protect the diversity that we hold dear. We also have to reform our long-broken immigration system and we have to secure our border. Reforms must be fair and make sense for the American people and economy, as well as for those around the world hoping to share in the American dream.

While I appreciate my colleagues’ work on the “Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act” (S.386), it is a piece-meal attempt to address the immigration crisis. The bill aims to fix the employment-based (EB) visa backlog by eliminating the numerical per-country caps. However, it would do so at the expense of American workers, highly skilled immigrants, workers from Latin America and Europe, as well as Florida’s most important industries.

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I’ve heard from many constituents about how this bill would impact people in Florida, especially those who came to Florida from Latin America. Florida’s booming economy and location as the gateway to Latin America has allowed us to become a global hub for trade and business. We must look at the sectors that eliminating this cap would unjustly benefit, particularly the tech industry, and what sectors it would hurt.

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The current iteration of S.386 is not the answer, but I’m committed to working with my colleagues on a solution that makes sense for Florida and allows more people to participate. If we don’t speak up now, the long-term effects of this quick fix could damage Florida’s economy and the diversity that we’ve worked so hard to protect.”

Read the full op-ed in the Miami Herald HERE.

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