President Donald Trump’s administration has opened close to 200 investigations into alleged abuses of the H-1B visa program.
It comes as the White House continues its aggressive crackdown on companies accused of sidelining American workers in favor of cheaper foreign labor.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-Deremer told Fox News on Sunday that 175 investigations are currently underway as part of the enforcement push known as “Project Firewall.”
The H-1B program allows employers to import foreign workers for jobs they claim they cannot fill with American applicants.
However, critics argue that the system has been widely exploited, particularly in the tech sector.
“We have over 175 investigations that we’ve opened, and for the first time in history, as a Secretary of Labor, I have signed those investigations personally, because we want to make sure that these companies are not abusing,” Chavez-Deremer said.
“We want to make sure that they’re protecting the American worker, first by – one: posting the jobs available to Americans.
“Two: if they do need to use the H-1B Visa Program, within the program, we have to make sure that they’re paying those fair wages, not to depress the American wages.
“And if that employee leaves that company, they have to make sure that they’re posting that with the government so that we know where those employers have gone and those employees.
“So it’s been somewhat of a problem, but we want to protect the American worker first, and Project Firewall will do that.
“We will be actively investigating these companies if they’re getting in the way of protecting foreign workers over American ones.”
The initiative began in September after President Trump imposed a $100,000 fee on H-1B applications.
The move was part of a broader effort to reduce reliance on imported labor and restore leverage for American workers.
The visa program has long been criticized as a tool for large corporations to undercut domestic wages.
Government data shows that India accounts for 71% of all H-1B approvals, with China receiving 11.7%.
The figures are further fueling concerns over foreign labor dependency.
The tech industry remains the biggest user of the program.
During the first half of 2025 alone:
• Amazon and AWS received more than 12,000 visa approvals
• Microsoft received over 5,000
• Meta Platforms also received over 5,000
The issue has also created political ripples.
In December, proposed reforms to the H-1B system sparked a public dispute after Vivek Ramaswamy made controversial remarks blaming Americans’ study habits.
The remarks included a bizarre reference to “idolizing Zach and Slater from Saved by the Bell.”
The comments ultimately led to Ramaswamy’s removal from DOGE and triggered the first open break between Elon Musk and the Trump administration.
As the investigations proceed, the Labor Department says its priority is clear: safeguarding American wages and ensuring companies cannot use foreign workers to skirt labor protections.
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