Trump should mean business on immigration

Corporate chieftains who will meet President Trump at the White House on Friday have expressed no fondness for his executive order on visas and refugees. Some have publicly objected, and are expected to complain about it at the meeting.

Maybe they are repelled by what they regard as an inhumane and discriminatory policy. Maybe they are engaged in nothing more than public relations posturing.

But their opposition to a pause in the flow of refugees to America is not a business concern, for U.S. industry's interest in immigration is not about Syrian refugees, Iranian tourists, or Somali students. Business's interest in visas is simply about wanting more foreign workers.

When the chief executives express this desire to import cheap labor, Trump should tell them to buzz off. Guest-worker visas are an abused, exploitative, big-government program aimed at driving down wages.

If Trump wants to fight for the forgotten man, he will rebuff requests to expand guest-worker programs. He will, rather, scrap the guest-worker program for low-skilled workers, and also totally overhaul the high-skilled guest-worker program.