Gallego Demands Tighter Oversight of H‑1B Visas After Tech Layoffs Raise Concerns

Sen. Gallego Pushes Administration To Ensure H‑1B Visas Supplement — Not Replace — U.S. Workers

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D‑Ariz.) on Wednesday sent a formal letter asking Trump administration officials to increase scrutiny of how major corporations use H‑1B visas to hire foreign workers. Gallego said he supports high‑skilled immigration programs that "spur economic growth and create good‑paying jobs for American workers," but he warned those programs must not be used to displace U.S. employees.

“At the same time, we must ensure such programs are not used to undercut or replace U.S. employees, especially as the American dream continues to grow further out of reach for young people,” he wrote.

Gallego noted that while large technology firms have laid off hundreds of thousands of workers, they have concurrently hired more than 30,000 foreign workers through the H‑1B program. He argued that this pattern — particularly its impact on recent college graduates — suggests there are young Americans who are willing and ready to be trained for many of these roles.

To underscore his point, Gallego cited a Bank of America Institute report that showed the unemployment rate for young workers rose to 7.4 percent in June even as overall unemployment leveled off. He said this trend signals growing barriers for young Americans entering the workforce.

Gallego emphasized the original intent of the H‑1B program: to supplement the U.S. workforce and boost the economy — not to replace domestic employees. He pressed the administration to explain how it will ensure the program honors that intent.

Questions Raised In The Letter

Gallego requested clear answers on how the administration will address potential abuse and protect U.S. workers. His questions included:

• Will the administration increase investigations into H‑1B visa fraud and abuse?
• How will agencies prioritize probes into companies suspected of misusing the program?
• Will officials scrutinize organizations that lay off American workers and replace them with H‑1B hires?
• What steps will be taken to ensure U.S. college graduates with relevant degrees are considered first for available positions?

The letter was addressed to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez‑DeRemer, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow and Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Administration Policy And Pushback

President Trump has argued that the U.S. lacks enough citizens with "certain talents" for some specialized jobs and has proposed favoring highly skilled, higher‑paid foreign workers by replacing the H‑1B lottery with a numerical cap. In September, the administration raised the H‑1B filing fee — a move described by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick as intended to encourage employers to hire American workers amid broader immigration changes.

The fee increase prompted a federal lawsuit by a coalition that included religious groups, health‑care providers, unions and higher‑education representatives. The coalition warned the policy could lead to staffing losses in hospitals, churches, classrooms and other sectors, Democracy Forward said in an October press release.

The decision also drew criticism from some conservative figures who said Americans should be given priority for jobs, while immigration experts warned the fee hike could reduce innovation and economic output, particularly in technology centers like Silicon Valley.

Gallego's letter asks the administration to clarify how it will ensure H‑1B visas remain a tool to supplement the U.S. workforce rather than a mechanism that displaces American workers — and to explain what enforcement actions will follow if companies are found to be abusing the program.