Trump’s Secretary of Labor Pick Draws Controversy For Soft Immigration Stance

President-elect Donald Trump’s selection for Labor Secretary is being criticized for having a lax stance on immigration.

Andy Puzder, the CEO of CKE Restaurants Holding, Inc., is on the record as being an amnesty flack. Conservative Review’s Daniel Horowitz notes that Puzder has done the following with regard to immigration:

• Supported the Gang of Eight bill.
• Adding his name to a Michael Bloomberg group’s letter supporting amnesty.
• Tweeting in August 2015, “Trump’s immigration plan could spell doom for the GOP.”
• Advocating for the Republican presidential candidates to adopt Jeb Bush’s position on immigration.
• Co-wrote a July 2016 piece with Stephen Moore stating, “We believe that deporting 11 million people is unworkable, and we hope in the end Mr. Trump comes to this same conclusion. Deportation should be pursued only when an illegal immigrant has committed a felony or become a ‘public charge.'”
• Advocated for infinite visas being issued.

The Right Scoop notes that Puzder does support securing the border first and cracking down on those who violate their visas, but that essentially is the Gang of Eight proposal, which Trump supposedly rejected during the campaign.

The reason why Puzder’s soft stance on immigration is important is because, as Mark Krikorian writes at National Review, the Labor Department is essential to visa policy:

Labor is central to the process of certifying and importing all the various categories of guestworkers that undermine the bargaining power of American workers – H1-Bs for the tech industry, H-2As for agriculture, H-2Bs for non-ag cheap-labor employers, and more. In addition, prior to the Obama administration, Labor Department inspectors were a force multiplier for immigration regarding worksite enforcement – coordinating with ICE (and before that, INS) on worksite problems the immigration people weren’t aware of.

Since Puzder believes in issuing scores of visas that will supposedly help the economy, there’s a good chance that there will be an increase in immigration under a Puzder reign as Labor Secretary. Even Breitbart, Trump’s Pravda, is criticizing the pick, suggesting that Trump’s populist, working-class base will be irked at what a Puzder Labor Secretary will likely do if he gets confirmed.