Biden-Harris Administration Releases Report of the H-2B Worker Protection Taskforce
Today, the Biden-Harris Administration released the report of the H-2B Worker Protection Taskforce (the Taskforce). The report announces new actions to be taken by four federal agencies—the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS), Labor (DOL), and State, as well as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)— to strengthen protections for vulnerable workers. The H-2B program permits employers to temporarily hire noncitizens to perform nonagricultural labor or services in the United States. Workers in the H-2B program work alongside U.S. workers in some of our country’s most critical occupations. Too often, H-2B workers face significant challenges and structural disincentives to report or leave abusive conditions, and they often lack power and resources to exercise their rights when exploitative employment situations arise. This vulnerability not only harms H-2B workers, but also undermines wages and working conditions for all workers. To address these issues...