Republican Lawmakers seek H-1B fraud probe
Republican lawmakers from Texas have urged the Trump administration to launch a coordinated federal investigation into alleged H-1B visa fraud in North Texas, arguing that abuse of the programme is harming American workers and undermining confidence in the US immigration system.
In a letter sent to Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Acting Secretary Keith Sonderling, and Secretary Mullin, four Texas Members of Congress called for an interagency probe into what they described as “reported H-1B fraud activities in North Texas”.
The letter was led by Representative Beth Van Duyne of Texas and signed by Representatives Pat Fallon, Ronny Jackson and Brandon Gill.
The lawmakers said the alleged activities were concentrated in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, including Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties.
“The concentration of these activities in North Texas -- a major economic hub for our nation -- raises additional concerns about localised exploitation of the system,” the lawmakers wrote.
“When bad actors are able to manipulate visa pathways at scale, it distorts local labour markets, suppresses wages, and erodes trust in lawful immigration processes,” they said.
Van Duyne said recent investigative reporting by independent journalists had exposed what she called “flagrant abuse” of the H-1B visa programme in North Texas.
“I’m thankful for my fellow North Texas Members in joining me to urge the Administration to take immediate action to investigate and prosecute these egregious violations of our immigration laws,” she said in a statement released Monday.
Van Duyne compared the alleged abuses to other fraud investigations previously uncovered in different parts of the country.
“Much like we saw with the Nick Shirley investigative journalism, which exposed Somali welfare fraud in Minnesota and rampant hospice fraud in Los Angeles, California, North Texas independent journalists have repeatedly uncovered flagrant abuse of the H-1B visa programme concentrated in the Dallas-Fort Worth area,” she said.
“H-1B visa abuse is an affront to our country, it harms American workers, depresses wages, leaves graduating university students without job prospects in their area of study, and it must be stamped out for economic and national security reasons,” Van Duyne added.
The lawmakers also pointed to earlier actions by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who launched separate investigations this year into alleged H-1B abuse and labour displacement practices.
According to the press release, state officials cited instances in which companies allegedly dismissed qualified Texas workers and replaced them with lower-wage H-1B employees. The release also referred to accusations involving sham companies allegedly operating from residential addresses or unfinished buildings.
The Members of Congress asked federal agencies to conduct a “coordinated, interagency investigation” into employers, third-party agents and associated entities linked to the alleged fraud.
They also urged the administration to review current H-1B adjudication and verification procedures to identify weaknesses that may allow fraudulent job offers, wage misrepresentation or improper labour condition applications.
The lawmakers further called for stronger enforcement measures, including increased audits of H-1B sponsors and harsher penalties for entities found engaging in fraudulent or deceptive practices.
Their recommendations also included better coordination between the Departments of Homeland Security, Labour and State to enable real-time verification of employment legitimacy and visa compliance
