U.S. immigration crackdowns aimed at undocumented workers in agriculture, construction and elsewhere are having ripple effects in the tech world, which employs thousands of foreign-born workers with highly sought-after computer science skills.
Two Seattle startups providing immigration services say the climate is stoking fears and a sense of urgency.
“Anxiety has increased,” said Xiao Wang, co-founder and CEO of Boundless. “The volume of questions, inquiries, and the amount of misinformation that goes on through social media is such that people are increasingly concerned about what is real, what is not real.”
Priyanka Kulkarni, founder and CEO of Casium, also sees corporations that sponsor employees from abroad examining their options.
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Even if the administration’s current policies aren’t directly disrupting the flow of tech workers from abroad, Wang said he’s seeing a “chilling effect” on new immigrants coming to the U.S. and companies recruiting foreign workers.
By turning people away, “there can be a real dampening effect on new job creators, new innovators, new entrepreneurs that will also cause the U.S. to lose its lead in science, technology and the global economy,” he said. “It’s against our own interest.”
Geekwire: Immigration crackdown rattles tech employers and workers amid ICE raids
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