Injecting H-1B and outsourcing as an election campaign issue, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has alleged that companies are importing low-wage workers on work visas and pledged to protect jobs for Americans.
"Many mothers across this country are worried their kids won't find jobs, and they are right to be worried. One of the biggest threats is outsourcing - jobs for college-educated kids are being sent to other countries," the 70-year-old reality TV star told his cheering supporters in Cincinnati, Ohio on Thursday night.
"At the same time, companies are importing low-wage workers on H-1B visas to take jobs from young college-trained Americans," he alleged.
"We will protect these jobs for Americans," he pledged. H-1B work visas are the most sought after for IT professionals, particularly those from India.
While H-1B and outsourcing had become one of his frequent campaign issues during the Republican primary season early this spring and summer, it more or less remained absent from his key election issue till the election rally in Ohio ahead of the November 8 polls.
According to a recent policy paper on immigration, Trump's vision is to prioritise the jobs, wages and security of the Americans and establish new immigration controls to boost wages and to ensure that open jobs are offered to American workers first.
He plans to protect the economic well-being of the lawful immigrants already living here by curbing uncontrolled foreign worker admissions and select immigrants based on their likelihood of success in the US and their ability to be financially self-sufficient.
Pledging to protect American jobs, Trump said at the rally that he his administration will "have to make sure that those who have graduated college and those who are soon to graduate can find a good job to start a good career when they do".
Trump said his economic plan - including tax, trade regulatory, and energy reforms - will create 25 million new jobs and allow the private sector to grow at four per cent per year.
"This includes reforms to protect and expand the sharing economy -- startups like Uber -- that have managed to provide great services to consumers, and create lots of jobs in the process," he added.
"Finally, and most importantly, the foundation for a new prosperity will be a re-dedication to the constitutional rule of law," Trump added.
