Should President Trump terminate the H-1B visa program?
As an immigration attorney who advocates for an America-First approach—yes, I know how rare that is—I think Trump should do it for three reasons:
1. Displacement of American Workers
The H1B program allows companies to lay off American workers and replace them with foreign workers who are often paid less, prioritizing cost savings over U.S. job security.
This undermines the claim that H-1B visas are used only when qualified American workers are unavailable.
For example, Microsoft—which is making record profits these days—recently laid off over 15,000 American workers, including software engineers and IT staff, while simultaneously filing over 14,000 H1B visa petitions.
Reports indicate that many of these visas were for roles in the same locations and job categories as the laid-off workers, suggesting direct replacement.
2. Wage Suppression and Exploitation
The H1B visa program enables companies to hire foreign workers at lower wages, suppressing salaries for American workers and exploiting H-1B workers who are tied to their employer-sponsored visas.
This creates a race-to-the-bottom effect on wages in tech and other industries.
H-1B workers also face exploitation because they risk deportation if terminated, with only a 60-day grace period to find a new sponsor.
3. Abuse by Outsourcing Firms
Outsourcing firms, particularly Indian IT companies, exploit the H1B program by securing a disproportionate share of visas to supply low-cost labor, often for non-specialized roles.
These firms engage in practices like filing visas for nonexistent jobs or “benching” workers, undermining the program’s purpose of addressing genuine skill shortages.
I'm Joseph Bovino, U.S. immigration and business attorney based in Miami and serving clients worldwide.
Let me know if you agree that it's time to terminate, phase out, or replace the H1B visa program.
Use the link in my bio if you'd like to schedule a video consultation with about another type of visa that actually benefits you AND America, such as an E2 investor visa or the O1 visa for individuals with extraordinary ability.
And follow for more.
@RonDeSantis @JDVance @realDonaldTrump @StephenM @AGJamesUthmeier