**MILWAUKEE \u2014** Vice President JD Vance and the Labor Department\u2019s inspector general announced a broad investigation Wednesday into alleged abuse of U.S. work-visa programs, casting the effort as part of the Trump administration\u2019s campaign against immigration fraud.<\/p>\n
Speaking at an anti-fraud event here, Vance said the Labor Department had already issued dozens of subpoenas. The goal, he said, is to ensure American jobs \u201cgo to American workers and not foreign fraudsters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Labor Inspector General Anthony D\u2019Esposito told the New York Post that schemes under review have cost the medical industry hundreds of millions of dollars and reached other employment sectors. He said investigators believe some operations involve coercive wage-kickback arrangements and, in some cases, forced-labor or trafficking networks.<\/p>\n
\u201cLabor\u2019s Office of Inspector General has uncovered widespread schemes in which employers and labor brokers submitted fraudulent applications, exploited foreign workers through coercive wage-kickback arrangements, and undercut American workers by flooding the market with below-wage labor,\u201d D\u2019Esposito said.<\/p>\n
Officials cited Department of Homeland Security assessments that as much as 21 percent of H-1B petitions may be fraudulent. D\u2019Esposito said the inquiry will also look at employment-based green cards and the PERM labor-certification process, including allegations that foreign workers displaced U.S. employees or obtained benefits through deception.<\/p>\n
He linked some visa fraud to wider crime, saying it can be \u201ctied to cartels\u201d and \u201ctransnational gangs,\u201d and warned that problems are not limited to factories. \u201cThese are people working in medical facilities and doctors\u2019 offices,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Vance said the H-1B program was meant to bring exceptional talent in technology, science and medicine. \u201cWhat\u2019s happening way too much is that big corporations and fraudsters overseas are using this program to undercut the wages of American workers,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat we\u2019re doing in the Trump administration, we\u2019re saying, \u2018No more.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The H-1B visa lets employers hire foreign workers for specialty occupations that generally require a bachelor\u2019s degree or higher. Pew Research Center data have shown that about 73 percent of recipients come from India, with a large share in computer-related fields. Major users have included Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Apple. California, Texas, New York, Illinois and Washington typically receive large shares of approvals. Petitions peaked at 442,425 in 2022.<\/p>\n
The administration said the investigation is meant to restore integrity to the system and put U.S. workers first. No comprehensive list of targets or criminal charges was released with Wednesday\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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