WASHINGTON _ Tens of thousands of Mexican professionals who come to work in the United States will be able to keep their visas as part of the new U.S.-Mexico trade agreement, the Mexican government says, delivering a political loss to the Trump administration, which sought to slash the number of visas as part of NAFTA re-negotiations.
The Mexican Economy Ministry told McClatchy that the newly announced trade deal does not make any changes to the number of eligible high-skilled professionals who each year receive Treaty NAFTA, or TN, visas as part of the original 1994 trade deal.
"The language about TN visas remains as in the original agreement," an official with the Mexican economic ministry said.
The Trump administration wanted to cut the number of visas as part of the "Buy American, Hire American" initiative promised during the 2016 campaign.
The status of the controversial visa program has been shrouded in mystery as actual details of the bilateral agreement Trump lauded this week, calling it the U.S.-Mexico trade deal, have been scarce.
Administration fact sheets about the trade deal don't mention any visas. No text of the proposed agreement has been released.
When asked if the number of TN visas was changing or if the TN visas are even part of the new agreement, a senior administration official simply said "No" without elaborating.
The White House and U.S. Trade Representative's office haven't answered repeated follow-up questions.
Supporters were surprised that the administration was not more forthcoming.
"It's unsettling because if no one actually knows in the key agencies, then you have to wonder who is making the decision and why," said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, which supports limiting the number of TN visas. "That's one of the problems with the way these trade agreements are always done; there is too much secrecy, and that makes everyone justifiably nervous."
Trump announced the deal in front of reporters Monday with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto dialed in on a conference call. It remains unclear whether Canada, the third country in NAFTA, would agree to the changes.
Describing the preliminary agreement as a good day for their country, Mexican officials told McClatchy "there were no changes with the U.S." as it regards to the TN visas.
The administration wanted to limit the number of eligible professions in the TN visa program and decrease the number of visa renewals even though Congress passed a bill in 2016 barring any administration from trying to change the number of visas granted to a country as part of trade negotiations.
Vaughn and other supporters hoped the visa language would be excluded from the trade deal, which would have been a first step to allowing Trump to kill the program altogether.
Congress, which expects to receive the plan by Friday, still needs to approve of the agreement.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley, who urged the administration to reduce the number of TN visas, praised the administration for making the deal with Mexico though it doesn't include the cap on visas.
The "verbal handshake between presidents Trump and Pena Nieto signified that the administration's top priorities had been agreed to by the respective principals," said spokeswoman Nicole Tieman. "Chairman Grassley will be monitoring the negotiations closely, but will reserve comment on any TN visa-related provisions until the final version is delivered to Congress."
Grassley, R-Iowa, has estimated the number of people with the TN visa could approach 100,000.
There are still a lot of questions about the full status of the visas, particularly what will come of the tens of thousands of Canadian professionals, such as accountants, engineers and nurses, who work in the United States on TN visas, if Canada is not incorporated into the trade deal.
Trade talks between the U.S. and Canada resumed Tuesday. They were not party to the agreement reached between Mexico and the U.S., even though the original NAFTA covered all three countries.
Fewer than 25,000 TN visas were issued for Mexicans in 2016, including about 10,000 for family members of the TN visa recipients, according to the State Department. No statistics are kept for Canadians, who have a lower bar to meet and can seek the visas when they arrive at the border.
But some Canadian reports have put the number in the tens of thousands. Those who favor restricting immigration argue the program could trigger a flood of immigrants in the United States.
The number of TN visa workers in the U.S. has grown in recent years. In 2008, the length of stay was increased from one year to three, making it an appealing alternative to other high-skilled visas. Approved occupations for the TN visa include accountants, hotel managers, land surveyors, nutritionists, engineers and computer systems analysts.
Groups that want to restrict immigration, including NumbersUSA and Federation for American Immigration Reform, lobbied the Trump administration to cut the number of visas. Both groups declined to comment.
