Edison Mayor Says Federal Green Card Action Threatens Township’s Momentum

EDISON, NJ — Mayor Sam Joshi released a statement Thursday evening, criticizing the Trump administration after it suspended several large IT companies from a federal green card program. Joshi said the move could hurt Edison, which is home to the headquarters of TCS North America.

The administration announced Thursday that it was suspending eight companies from the permanent labor certification process, known as PERM. The step is how employers seek green cards for foreign workers. The companies are Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini.

Vice President JD Vance, who leads the administration’s fraud task force, announced the move at a White House news conference. He said the program has become “rife with fraud.” He accused Microsoft of replacing laid-off American workers with foreign workers, according to The Associated Press.

In a statement, Joshi criticized the decision.

“The Trump administration’s decision to suspend the H-1B PERM program is short-sighted and irresponsible, and Edison may feel the consequences,” he said.

Joshi said TCS North America, which he described as the world’s second-largest IT firm, has its headquarters in Edison. The township relies on companies like it, he said.

“Our municipality depends on companies like these for local jobs, economic growth, and a strong housing and retail market,” Joshi said.

The mayor said he met in person with leaders of many of the affected companies during an economic mission to India, and that he has stayed in touch with them.

“This decision could adversely impact their NJ investment plans,” Joshi said. “It puts hundreds of Edison jobs at risk, likely thousands across Central Jersey, and threatens the momentum we’ve built.”

Joshi said he agrees that protecting American jobs is important, but argued these roles are hard to fill quickly.

“These are highly specialized roles that simply cannot be filled overnight,” he said. He listed quantum infrastructure architects, cybersecurity cryptography security engineers and other advanced computer engineers and architects as examples.

He also said the jobs support other parts of the local economy.

“These jobs carry an indirect benefit, fueling our retail, housing, and construction markets,” Joshi said. “That is why our economy continues to thrive in Edison.”

The mayor said the federal government should have handled it differently.

“The right policy would have been to taper this program responsibly, not pull the plug without warning,” he said.

During the press conference, Vance said companies must tell the government that a foreign worker has a specialized, highly capable skill set. He said that claim is not true when a company replaces one American worker with a lower-paid foreign worker, according to AP.

Microsoft said in a statement that it looks forward to giving the administration more information. The company said it only files H-1B petitions for people who meet the visa’s standards.

Vance also announced an investigation into nine universities over their use of J-1 visas for international students.

H-1B visas are meant for high-skilled jobs that employers say are hard to fill with American workers. Technology companies are the biggest users, and nearly three-quarters of approvals go to workers from India, AP reported.

Supporters of the administration have long argued the program undercuts American workers. Supporters of the visas say they help the U.S. attract top talent and fill hiring gaps.

Have a correction or a news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com