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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has slammed the H-1B visa program as a “total scam,” accusing companies of laying off Americans while hiring mostly Indian workers.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a public event (File photo/AP)
Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis has termed the H-1B visa model a “total scam” and said a large number of companies are laying off many Americans and are recruiting those with H-1Bs. DeSantis also said that most of those who hold the H-1B visa are from India.
In an interview with Fox News, the Florida Governor opined that it has become a system benefiting a specific industry, which is dominated by workers from India.
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“The H-1B has become a total scam. These companies game the system, and you have some of these companies that are laying off large numbers of Americans while they are also getting new H-1Bs and renewing H-1Bs,” DeSantis could be heard telling Fox News in a widely shared video.
“And a lot of times people used to say, ‘well, we’re getting cream in crop from all around the world’, but the reality is that’s not actually what H-1Bs are. Most of them are from one country, India,” he said.
“There’s a cottage industry about how all those people make money off this system. Look at what’s happening to young people in this current job market because of artificial intelligence. You are starting to see evidence, there have been much tougher times because of what’s happening with AI. So if that’s going to continue to produce dislocations, why would we be importing foreign workers when we have our own people that we need to take care of,” he added.
Before DeSantis, United States Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, had said that the US intends to alter the current immigration system, specifically the H-1B visa program and green cards.
Lutnick had said the Donald Trump administration was planning to introduce a “gold card” program, which would allow wealthy foreigners to invest USD 5 million in exchange for US residency.
“I’m involved in changing the H-1B visa program. We’re going to change that program because that’s terrible. We’re going to change the green card,” Lutnick said during an Interview with Fox News.
In January 2025, US President Donald Trump reaffirmed his stance to support the H-1B visa program, which allows employers in the US to hire non-immigrant workers for speciality occupations, stating that the country needs “competent” and “great” individuals to come to the US and that this can be achieved through the H-1B visa program.
ALSO READ | Big Changes Coming To H-1B Visa Programme? What Indian Tech Workers Should Expect
About the Author
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
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