Texas Governor questions H-1B visas in State schools

Washington, Jan 27 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Texas Governor Greg Abbott said his administration is examining the use of H-1B visas in the state’s public schools, universities, and other taxpayer-funded institutions, questioning whether foreign workers are being hired for jobs that Texans can readily fill.

Speaking on The Mark Davis Show on Monday, Abbott said his office has begun collecting information from public agencies to determine “the extent to which Texas taxpayer dollars are being used to pay for any of these people,” referring to H-1B visa holders working in state institutions.

The governor said the inquiry covers public schools, colleges, and universities, as well as other areas where state funds may be involved. He added that his office has sent inquiries to agencies across Texas and is seeking to compile details on the number of H-1B workers employed, the roles they fill, and the justification for their hiring.

“We have inquiries out right now to all of those agencies gathering the information that we need, and are hoping to be able to make an announcement later on this week about an action plan that Texas is beginning to take,” Abbott said during the radio interview.

Abbott emphasized that the H-1B visa program is administered by the federal government, not by the states. Still, he said, Texas is examining what authority it may have when state funds are involved. “This is a federal program, only a federal program. It’s not a state program,” he said, adding that his administration is looking at “what authority would we have to do anything about this.”

He said the review is focused on whether public institutions are relying on H-1B workers in positions that do not require unique or specialized skills. “For example, what job is it in our public schools in the State of Texas that these H-1B visa personnel are fulfilling that we can’t fulfill here in our own public schools?” Abbott said. “I don’t see any reason why we need any H-1B visa employees in our public schools in the State of Texas, but we’re going to find out if there’s some unique skill set or whatever the case may be.”

The governor also raised concerns about what he described as possible abuse of the visa program, echoing arguments made by some conservatives that H-1B visas have been misused. He referred to reports of multiple visa holders registered at a single address and said there has been “extraordinary controversy” surrounding how some H-1B workers were admitted.

Abbott suggested that some individuals who entered the US on H-1B visas may have overstayed or were insufficiently vetted, particularly during the Biden administration. “Some of these H-1B visa issues are people who were allowed in either under the Biden administration or even before that who’ve overstayed their visa,” he said.

He linked the state’s review to broader federal immigration enforcement efforts under President Donald Trump, saying Texas is in communication with the administration. “Obviously, we are in communication with the Trump administration,” Abbott said, adding that the president has made the issue a priority.

Abbott said his administration aims to ensure public safety and protect Texans’ jobs. “The fact of the matter is we want to make sure that our communities are safe,” he said. “We want to make sure that our communities are not having people come in and take jobs that Texans can easily fill.”

He said that depending on what the review finds, Texas could ask the federal government to take further action. “It may be that we’re having to call specifically on the Trump administration to withdraw them,” Abbott said, referring to certain H-1B visa holders.

The H-1B program allows US employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations that typically require at least a bachelor’s degree. It is widely used in fields such as technology, medicine, research, and higher education, and has long been a point of political debate in Washington.

In recent years, critics of the program have argued that it can undercut US workers or be used for positions that do not require highly specialized skills, while supporters say it helps address labor shortages and allows employers to recruit global talent in critical sectors.

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