The crabbing industry in Hoopers Island, Maryland, has been decimated by the Trump administration's visa caps, NBC News reported Tuesday.
Hoopers Island lies in a county that overwhelmingly voted for President Trump, but now that peak crabbing season has begun, locals are disappointed that new policies have negatively affected small businesses. The Trump administration this year restricted H-2B visas, which allow seasonal employees to come from abroad with temporary work authorization. On Hoopers Island, 40 percent of the H-2B visas have vanished, leaving crabbing businesses without much-needed labor.
In past years, the town would receive 500 visas, many of which would go to Mexican women who would come pick crab meat during the busy season. This year, only 300 were approved, leaving the entire supply chain in flux. Without enough crab pickers, some business have shut down, reports NBC News. Locals say they can't find any Americans willing to do the job, and say the important industry is suffering due to the restrictions.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Even though jobs have evaporated and the change has driven prices up, some residents say they don't fault Trump for the sudden lurch. "I just don't think Donald Trump knows what's going on down here right now," said one local. "Because if you're for business, well, you're putting businesses out of work here." Read more at NBC News.
-
The Roses: Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch star in black comedy rebootThe Week Recommends 'Acidly enjoyable' remake of the 1980s classic features a warring couple and toxic love
-
Why reports of Donald Trump's demise are greatly exaggeratedIn The Spotlight US president has once again brushed aside rumours that he's dead
-
Lose yourself in these magnificent mazesThe Week Recommends These fiendishly clever puzzles aren't just for kids
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fineSpeed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Trump said to seek government stake in IntelSpeed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to ChinaSpeed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
NFL gets ESPN stake in deal with DisneySpeed Read The deal gives the NFL a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN sports empire and gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B dealSpeed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance mergerSpeed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profitsSpeed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new highSpeed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
