Republican businessman Zach Lahn says that if he is elected governor of Iowa, he will ban H-1B visa holders from taking jobs in state government and universities.
He also pledged to require contractors doing business with the state to publicly disclose how many Americans they are hiring for a state project, which he says will be “inversely correlated to how many H1-Bs you have.”
In a recent gubernatorial debate aired in Iowa on Tuesday, Lahn blasted the H-1B program and said it “is one of the most abused immigration programs that we have” because it gives jobs directly to foreigners and skips over Iowans, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported.
“The reason is, Iowa people will do these jobs. I reject the idea that our people won’t do these jobs. We have some of the most hardworking kids in the country. You go to any other state, and you graduate from Iowa high school or Iowa college, you give them a resume,” Lahn said on the stage. “It says you’re from Iowa. What do they say? ‘We love hiring Iowans.’ I want to be hiring those Iowans here, that’s why we need to bring our kids back home, and that’s what we’ll be fighting for as governor.”
One recent poll finds Lahn in third place at 8 percent with former Iowa Department of Administrative Services director Adam Steen just above him at 9 percent. U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra sits in the top slot with a commanding 41 percent. Feenstra has consistently declined to participate in any of the debates held thus far this year.
Lahn has won the endorsement of former Iowa congressman Steve King in the race for governor.
The GOP businessman also said in a campaign post on Facebook in April that too many Iowans are leaving the state due to a lack of future prospects.
“The future of Iowa is LEAVING the state. We are currently 4th in the nation for out-migration,” he said.
“This not only presents a huge problem economically, but I believe it is a bigger sign of a broken culture and system. We must fight for the future of the state, and that starts with our young people. Let’s put Iowa First,” he said.
The winner of the GOP primary on June 2 will face Democrat candidate Rob Sand in the general election.
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