According to a February 5th news story on WFAA-TV by Byron Harris: "Italian workers lose visas after WFAA investigation". It might sound too good to be true, so be sure to go to the website to see the video report.
After the WFAA story broke in November, outraged unions and concerned Americans raised a big stink over the Italian welders. They let the Texas state government know that they weren't happy to see Italian welders take away jobs that belonged to Americans.
After the News 8 story aired last November, the Texas Department of Transportation — the "customer" for the bridge — requested an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).Byron Harris and WFAA definitely deserve the lion's share of the credit for the good news. Most of the national news media ignored this story even while it was going radioactive in Texas. Harris was the lone journalist that dug the story up, and WFAA had the courage to put it on TV. In this age of politically correct mainstream media, it's very rare to see a story like this to make it to television.
Give a tip of the hat to Byron Harris and WFAA Channel 8!
So, here is the good news:
When seven of the eleven workers returned to Italy for Christmas, their visas were revoked by the U.S. Department of State. Four Italians remain in Dallas.
Not all of the workers are employed by Cimolai, which manufactures the unique steel. Some are simply employees of an Italian steel assembly firm. Additionally, not all the workers are from Italy, with special Italian skills; some are from Slovakia.
After the News 8 story aired last November, the Texas Department of Transportation — the "customer" for the bridge — requested an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).Harris didn't explain why the remaining Italians are still working in Dallas. It seems as though ICE is giving them a free ticket to remain in the U.S. as long as they don't leave and try to come back. There is no question the Italians should be deported because they used the B-1 visa improperly, so why are they allowed to stay in the U.S.?When seven of the eleven workers returned to Italy for Christmas, their visas were revoked by the U.S. Department of State. Four Italians remain in Dallas.
Oh, and Cimolai's claim that they couldn't find Americans that had the special welding skills needed to do the job were exposed as lies in a real real zinger — not all the workers were Italian. Slovakians were also used, which lends credibility to the claim that the company Cimolai was using foreigners to cut labor costs.
Not all of the workers are employed by Cimolai, which manufactures the unique steel. Some are simply employees of an Italian steel assembly firm. Additionally, not all the workers are from Italy, with special Italian skills; some are from Slovakia.
