Provide for long-term workers, not temps

Your newspaper gave us an article about employers wanting to bring more temporary workers here on work visas. We have thousands of workers already here who need work visas or even better legal residency, but they are not from the designated countries, like Thailand and Jamaica. They are from neighboring places.

Unlike the temporary workers, our workers have years of experience being here, but rarely a way right now to get legal residency unless one of them falls in love with and marries a U.S. citizen, but most brought spouses. These workers know the county well, are dedicated to their jobs, and when they can, they start their own businesses. They join the community in sports, education, and churches, giving to our area. The temporary workers know they have to leave in four to six months. By the time they learn their jobs well, they have to go, and other workers are put in their places.

It seems absurd to bring in temporary people when we have well-trained people here. Right now, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham is trying to get a bill to give those who came as children, known as Dreamers, a path to residency and finally U.S. citizenship when they pass the exam. Great. All of our workers who have been here for years should be given this chance.

We don’t need new workers for a few months, we need to help our long-term workers to be able to stay.

This story was originally published August 17, 2017 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Provide for long-term workers, not temps."