US lawmaker targets H-1B visas, alleges harm to American workers

In a renewed salvo against America’s high-skilled immigration framework, a Republican lawmaker has unveiled legislation seeking to dismantle the H-1B visa programme, arguing that it has steadily eroded opportunities for US workers while favouring foreign labour.

US Representative Greg Steube announced the introduction of the Ending Exploitative Imported Labor Exemptions Act, or the EXILE Act, a measure that would bring the H-1B visa system to a complete halt. The bill proposes amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act to discontinue the programme that allows American companies to recruit foreign professionals for specialised roles.

“Prioritising foreign labour over the well-being and prosperity of American citizens undermines our values and national interests,” Steube said, framing the legislation as an effort to restore balance to the domestic workforce.

He accused the H-1B programme of sidelining American workers and younger jobseekers, claiming that corporations and overseas competitors have benefited at the expense of US citizens. “Our workers and young people continue to be displaced and disenfranchised,” he said, adding that the American dream could not be preserved “while forfeiting their share to non-citizens”.

According to Steube’s office, the EXILE Act would amend Section 214(g)(1)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to end the H-1B programme entirely. The proposal notes that more than 80 per cent of H-1B recipients are Indian or Chinese nationals, with employers often favouring younger workers.

The release accompanying the bill laid out a series of examples it said illustrate how the programme has disadvantaged American workers. It claimed that the arrival of more than 5,000 foreign-born doctors under the H-1B system had blocked over 10,000 US physicians from securing residency placements.

In the technology sector, the release alleged that Microsoft displaced more than 16,000 employees after receiving approvals for over 9,000 H-1B visas in 2025. In logistics, FedEx’s use of the programme was linked to the closure of more than 100 facilities across the country.

The entertainment and energy industries were also cited. Disney, the release said, laid off 250 employees in 2015 and replaced them with foreign workers hired through the H-1B route. In 2014, Southern California Edison reportedly fired 540 workers, whose roles were subsequently filled by employees from two Indian outsourcing firms operating under the same visa programme.

The legislative text of the EXILE Act states that the number of H-1B visas would be set at zero beginning in fiscal year 2027 and for every year thereafter, effectively ending the programme.

Established under US law to allow employers to recruit skilled foreign professionals in fields such as technology, engineering, medicine and finance, the H-1B visa has long served as a gateway for global talent — particularly from India and China — while remaining a flashpoint in America’s enduring debate over jobs, wages and immigration policy.

With IANS inputs