There are very few people who have helped the American IT worker more than John Miano.
He had a successful career as a computer programmer for years – and even wrote a few books on the topic. But the direction of his life changed decades ago, after he saw companies displacing colleagues with foreign-born workers. He realized that there were few lawyers out there that specialized in the new immigration laws being passed by Congress – so he decided to enroll in law school and fight the system himself.
Fast-foward 30 years later, John is arguing cases in front of the Supreme Court. He’s an expert that Washington DC Think Tanks rely on for immigration law expertise – and muscle. He’s also published a book, alongside media personality Michelle Malkin, which won national acclaim for shining a spotlight on corruption in US high-tech immigration.
To US IT workers who have been displaced by a foreign Visa worker, the book was groundbreaking, in that it offered stark proof of what was happening in the industry. Before it was published, no one could believe that anyone could lose a job in a sector worth trillions of dollars. The book showed how companies schemed behind the scenes to fire Americans, destroying the lives of thousands upon thousands of families. It also showed the other side of the coin – how the new Visa laws enabled a forced indentured servitude for the new foreign Visa workers, who willingly complied to work endless hours over decades for minimal pay, in hopes of climbing the ladder (being granted H1-B Visa – and eventually a Green Card).
In IT, many Americans try to code their way around a setback like a pink slip. They look to invent new things, create a new web-based startup or simply learn a new programming language that will give them a leg up in the workplace. But this doesn’t necessarily work if you live in a small town with not a lot of industry nearby – or don’t have access to capital, to get your idea off the ground.
After you’ve been in this business a while, it becomes a numbers game. And if employers have access to cheap foreign workers, who are willing to spend 14 hours a day at the office for a quarter of the salary a typical American would get, the companies will ultimately hire the foreign worker.
That’s why John stepped into the arena with the big corporations and their paid lobbyists in DC. He knew that it was the legislation that was enabling all of this. And, like the true Action Hero that he is, he knew exactly how to fight this fight.
Throughout the years, he’s been the go-to legal mind behind many legislative counter-offensives.
Jessica Vaughn, the Director of Policy Studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, said John’s work with her group has been “absolutely essential to the Center’s ability to educate the public, and especially lawmakers, on the problems in the H-1B program and the consequences for U.S. workers.”
Vaughn said John wrote a study in 2005 that poked holes in the assumption that all H1-B workers are geniuses, who are essential for tech industry growth. He proved that most are, in fact, low-level workers (think: helpdesk).
“This study was critical to debunking the Big Tech-promoted myth that the H-1B program brings in essential skilled workers. Countering this narrative has been one of the most challenging tasks in achieving reforms to the program, and it would be impossible without the facts and analysis that John provided.”
Jessica Vaughn on John Miano
Kevin Lynn, the founder of US Techworkers and the Executive Director of the Institute for Sound Public Policy estimates John has provided “tens of thousands of hours” to his group over the years – and his input has been vital to the cause.
“When you create a movement, you need activism, policy and litigation,” Lynn said. “When you call out bad players, you have to be able to drag them to the courthouse door. That’s what John has been able to do for us.”
Lynn said John has been very generous with his time for any individual or group who has been wronged by bad immigration policies. He regularly stays up late listening to workers who have no one else to turn to. For many, it’s a call they make in their final moments of desperation before losing their homes to bankruptcy or their families to divorce.
We were really grateful when John even disrupted his busy schedule to attend our rally in January 2019, to protest Governor Lamont’s plan to give taxpayer money to Infosys, an Indian outsourcing firm who has a long track record of displacing Americans.
He’s been listening to these stories for years, in hopes that the affected workers would somehow try to effect change in their workplace, go on strike – or do anything to fight back. With the exception of a few cases, they rarely do.
This has produced endless frustration to people like John. After all, he is someone who goes out in this world and gets things done. He changed his life to help the very people who rarely do anything to help themselves.
We simply don’t deserve him.
John recently suffered a setback in a Supreme Court case. He was questioning the legality of the Optional Practical Training (OPT) Visa, a major foreign worker scheme disguised as an educational program, created by President George Bush Sr as part of the 1990 Immigration Act. The OPT program, which includes no minimum wage protections for foreign workers, has never been approved by Congress.
John was the only person to challenge this program in the courts.
Vaughn said is one of a very tiny group of people in the US who have the knowledge and wherewithal to take this fight to the big corporations.
“Few understand how these programs work as John does, and even fewer have the legal credentials to challenge them in court. It had to be done, since successive Congresses and presidential administrations failed to end the programs,” Vaughn said.
She said Miano derserves to be recognized for all his efforts.
“Bravo to John for taking these on, sticking with them, and if nothing else, at least exposing the shocking indifference of many public officials to the abuse of power and the resulting harm inflicted on their fellow Americans. “
Despite having the admiration of so many average Americans as well as the smartest people in DC, it was probably hard for John to hear about the Supreme Court decision.
Lynn said it would be natural for any sane man to feel down after a defeat like this. But he assures that John is nowhere near finished with his mission.
“It’s really amazing. He’s one man up against millions of dollars in corporate interests and he just keeps going, Lynn said. “He’s a machine!”
Despite the loss, Lynn said the fight against OPT is not over. Congress Paul Gosar of Arizona has proposed legislation to scrap the program altogether. And, under a new House Speaker, Lynn said this legislation might just be approved by the House.
To find out more about John and what he does for the American IT worker, simply do a Google search. His exploits are the stuff of legends.
Let us all hope we can live our lives like John. He is truly a mover and shaker in this world. He is someone who does meaningful things that help real people and families.
Visa programs like OPT have had profound implications not only on the workplace but in neighborhoods across the country. To keep abreast of the situation, follow the US Techworkers Twitter stream.