Texas congressional delegation calls for federal investigation into H-1B visa fraud

U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-TX, and her north Texas colleagues have called for a federal investigation into alleged H-1B visa fraud occurring in counties they represent. Similar to the alleged Somali welfare fraud in Minnesota and hospice fraud in Los Angeles, Van Duyne argues north Texas is grappling with an H-1B visa fraud problem involving Indian nationals concentrated in her Dallas-Fort Worth district in Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties. "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," she said. She and Republican U.S. Reps. Ronny Jackson, Brandon Gill and Pat Fallon, who also represent the region, sent a letter to the vice president and secretaries of the departments of State, Labor and Homeland Security, urging them to investigate. Alleged visa abuse in North Texas, "a major economic hub for our nation – raises additional concerns about localized exploitation of the system," the letter states. "When bad actors are able to manipulate visa pathways at scale, it distorts local labor markets, suppresses wages, and erodes trust in lawful immigration processes. "Beyond economic impacts, there are also broader compliance and security considerations. Fraudulent use of employment-based visas may indicate systemic weaknesses in interagency coordination, verification mechanisms, and oversight of sponsoring employers. Ensuring that individuals entering the United States through legal channels are properly vetted and placed in legitimate employment is essential to maintaining both economic integrity and national security." The H-1B program is administered and overseen by several federal agencies, including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the departments of State and Labor. It allows employers "to hire nonimmigrant aliens as workers in specialty occupations or as fashion models of distinguished merit and ability … to help employers who cannot otherwise obtain needed business skills and abilities from the U.S. workforce by authorizing the temporary employment of qualified individuals who are not otherwise authorized to work in the United States." The greatest number of H-1B visa holders nationwide are from India, more than 70% in 2024, according to USCIS data. The second greatest number of holders are from China. The Texas Republicans called for respective federal agencies to conduct a coordinated, interagency investigation into reported H-1B fraud activities in North Texas, "including the role of employers, third-party agents, and any associated entities," and review current H-1B adjudication and verification processes "to identify vulnerabilities that allow for fraudulent job offers, wage misrepresentation, or improper labor condition applications." The Trump administration is already undergoing a massive review and overhaul of visa programs within USCIS, The Center Square reported. They also called on federal agencies to strengthen enforcement mechanisms, including increasing audits of H-1B sponsors, enhancing penalties for fraud and improving data sharing and coordination. They also asked the agencies to provide recommendations to Congress "to close loopholes and restore integrity to the H-1B program." They urged a federal agency investigation after presidential and state actions have been taken. President Donald Trump first addressed the issue by signing an executive order restricting entry for "aliens as nonimmigrants to perform services in specialty occupations in the H-1B program unless their petition is accompanied by a $100,000 payment." He said, "American workers are being replaced with lower-paid foreign labor, creating an economic and national security threat to the nation," The Center Square reported. In January, Gov. Greg Abbott directed all state agencies and publicly funded higher education institutions to freeze H-1B visa petitions and launch a review of current program use. A state investigation was necessary, he said, because of "recent reports of abuse in the federal H-1B visa program, and amid the federal government's ongoing review of that program to ensure American jobs are going to American workers." The Office of Attorney General also launched an investigation into businesses in north Texas allegedly committing H-1B visa fraud after residents in Frisco have been sounding the alarm about alleged visa fraud and a disproportionate number of Indian nationals moving there, The Center Square reported. The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas is also prosecuting a case involving Pakistani nationals charged with defrauding the EB-2, EB-3 and H-1B visa programs, money laundering, racketeering and unlawfully obtaining and attempting to obtain United States citizenship, The Center Square reported. Department of Justice prosecutions against visa fraud are ongoing nationwide.