Here\u2019s\na cool little story that didn\u2019t get any play during the Democratic and\nRepublican conventions that tirelessly trumpeted the benefits of immigration:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Colorado\nski resorts are hiring young Americans\nfor thousands of seasonal-work positions this winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After President Donald Trump\u2019s June 22 executive order<\/a> paused foreign-worker visas in response to the COVID-19 siege, ski resorts worried they would be unable to lure workers to their remote and often-pricey mountain communities, according to the Colorado Sun.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTrying\nto fill positions without an international pool of applicants is a little\nconcerning, but we think we can replace them domestically,\u201d said Jim Laing,\nhead of human resources for Aspen Skiing Co. \u201cOur applications from college\nkids are up pretty significantly over prior years. We are targeting college-age\napplicants, but they seem to be targeting us as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nSun reported that Colorado resorts had become dependent on a steady stream of\nJ-1 exchange visa workers from South America, Australia and New Zealand to\nstaff ski schools, hotels and mountain operations. The J-1 Exchange\nVisitor Program annually accepted 300,000 workers from 200 countries, including\n11,1331 in Colorado. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve\nfound interest among [U.S.] students who have more flexibility now due to\n[COVID-driven] online learning or deferring college attendance for a year. And\nour employees from prior seasons are also showing enthusiasm to return,\u201d said\nVail Resorts spokesman Ryan Huff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Still,\nit\u2019s not all fresh powder on the all-American slopes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Several ski resorts have challenged Trump\u2019s order in court, claiming they need ongoing access to foreign labor. The Lakewood, Colo.-based National Ski Areas Association told the Fort Morgan Times<\/a> that operators routinely import ski instructors via H-2B visas, and they need them to keep coming.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Here\u2019s a cool little story that didn\u2019t get any play during the Democratic and Republican conventions that tirelessly trumpeted the benefits of immigration: Colorado ski resorts are hiring young Americans for thousands of seasonal-work positions this winter. After President Donald Trump\u2019s June 22 executive order paused foreign-worker visas in response to the COVID-19 siege, ski<\/p>\n