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By Kate Plummer
Senior US News Reporter
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has blasted H-1B visas in a TV interview.
Speaking to Fox News' Laura Ingraham, the Republican state leader called the visa system for foreign workers a "total scam," saying it hurts American workers.
Why It Matters
H-1Bs, which are visas allocated by lottery to attract foreign workers, have come under scrutiny under President Donald Trump's administration.
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Conservatives have sought to overhaul the process amid concerns that employers are replacing American workers with foreign nations. Supporters of H-1Bs, like the American Immigration Council, have consistently defended the visas, saying that bringing in talented employees from outside the country is essential for growing U.S. companies and the economy.
According to federal data, 7,246 H-1B beneficiaries have been approved thus far during this fiscal year.
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What To Know
During the interview, DeSantis said the visas encourage companies to hire cheaper foreign labor from India, thus hurting American workers.
"I think you're right to say the H-1B, it's become a total scam," he said. These companies game the system. You have some of these companies that are laying off large numbers of Americans while they're also getting new H-1 Bs and renewing existing H-1 Bs. A lot of times people used to say: 'well you know we're getting the cream of the crop from all around the world.' The reality is that's not actually what H1Bs are, most of them (H-1Bs) are from one country, India, there's a cottage industry about how all those people make money off this system".
The comments are not a new stance from the Republican governor. He spoke out against visas in January, saying at a press conference that there are "some big problems" associated with the program.
Meanwhile, there are potentially major shake-ups coming in the allocation of these visas. The Department of Homeland Security is considering replacing the lottery system which allocated the 85,000 annual visas with a "weighted selection process" that considers certain factors like wage or education level.
Florida State University, specifically, became embroiled in a social media firestorm over accusations that it was only hiring people with H-1B visas. The university told Newsweek that those claims were "misleading."
Elsewhere, other MAGA figures have also criticized India.
What People Are Saying
Stephen Yale-Loehr a retired immigration law professor at Cornell and of counsel at Miller Mayer, LLP in Ithaca, New York told Newsweek: "Every government program has a few people who try to scam the system. But we shouldn't throw out the baby with the bath water and abolish the H-1B visa program. In my experience practicing business immigration law for over 40 years, the vast majority of H-1B employers play by the rules. Because of the expense, time, and uncertainty of the H-1B process, most employers would prefer to hire U.S. workers if they could."
USCIS said in guidance issued on July 18: "USCIS has announced that it has received enough petitions to meet the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa U.S. advanced degree exemption, also known as the master's cap, for fiscal year 2026."
What Happens Next
Whether changes to the visa program are implemented on a federal level remain to be seen. Until then, the clash between those who support it and those who seek an overhaul will likely continue.
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