Trump allies with ties to his private clubs pushed for more foreign work visas

President Trump personally directed his team to expand the allotment of additional temporary visas through the H-2B program.

This followed successful lobbying by associates tied directly to his businesses.

The approach happened earlier this year as Trump entered the lobby of his Florida golf club.

Bernd Lembcke, who managed Mar-a-Lago for 30 years before retiring, longtime Mar-a-Lago member Peter Petrina, and Adrian Tudor, manager at Trump International Golf Club, pressed the president for more seasonal guest workers ahead of peak winter and spring tourism.

Trump’s properties, including Mar-a-Lago, have long relied on the H-2B program to hire temporary foreign labor for landscaping, hospitality, and resort operations.

The January meeting came after the administration announced plans late last year to cut additional H-2B visa slots to roughly 35,000, a nearly 50 percent reduction from prior years.

Weeks after the lobbying session at the president’s own club, the administration reversed itself and authorized the maximum 64,716 additional visas allowed by law.

People familiar with the matter said Trump took the campaign seriously. He called his advisers and explicitly directed them to work on expanding the allotment of additional temporary visas through the H-2B program.

Peter Petrina leads the Seasonal Employment Alliance, which pushes for the highest possible number of H-2B visas each year.

The Trump Organization continues to seek H-2B workers for cooks, bellmen, and bartenders at its properties.

The swift policy reversal highlights how associates with direct financial and professional ties to the president’s businesses secured a major expansion of the very visa program his companies use.