Indian-origin scholar Ron Hira, a professor at Howard University and one of the most outspoken critics of the H-1B visa, has once again questioned how the program works in the US. In a post on X, Hira wrote that a “significant number of H-1B visa holders are average-grade labor that could be supplied domestically.”
With Indians forming the largest share of H-1B holders, Hira’s criticism was bound to get noticed. As the son of Indian immigrants who arrived in the US in the 1950s, long before the H-1B system was introduced, his take naturally invited more discussion.
‘H-1B must be radically reformed’
In a post on X, Hira mentioned that “recent US college students can’t find work in their field of study, and AI threatens to further disrupt the labor market. H-1B must be radically reformed.
Speaking at an event hosted by the Heritage Foundation, Hira explained why he believes the current system is failing American and foreign workers. He said the focus should be on redesigning labor rules so the H-1B program does not push wages down, protects all workers, and actually fills real shortages, instead of replacing American employees.
In a clip shared online, Hira walked through real-world examples of how employers allegedly take advantage of loopholes. He pointed to an approved 2023 application from Deloitte Consulting, one of the top H-1B employers. “And here the employer, Deloitte Consulting, a top 10 H-1B employer, is claiming that a position in its own job title is senior consultant. That’s Deloitte Consulting describing the position. A senior consultant is actually an entry-level position when it comes to setting the prevailing wage for the H-1B worker,” he said. “Is a senior consultant entry-level? Probably not,” he added.
Hira’s comments drew a lot of discussion online. “And what is the ethnicity of the speaker? Indian? Exactly,” one person wrote. Another asked, “Why are South Asian people being made the face of the immigration-restriction movement here? Surely you can find people from historically rooted American communities to share this message?” A third user added, “Well, this looks like just another case of ‘H-1Bs against H-1B.’ Clearly these Indians don’t want more Indians to come.”
Ron Hira’s earlier comments: ‘Cheaper and controllable’
This is not the first time Hira has taken a strong stand against the H-1B usage. In a recent interview on System Update, he said US companies prefer H-1B workers because they can be paid less and are easier to control, as their legal status depends entirely on the employer.
He said many H-1B workers do have strong skills, but a large number perform jobs that American workers can already do. He highlighted cases like Disney and the University of California, where American employees were reportedly asked to train their H-1B replacements. Hira added that people often confuse the H-1B program with immigration.
In his view, it is actually a guest worker program, and such programs need very strong worker protections. “Most of the people coming to the US on H-1B visas have ordinary skills, skills that are abundantly available from American workers. Employers prefer the H-1Bs because they can both be legally paid less than American workers, and secondly, they’re controllable, they’re indentured to the employer,” he explained in an X post earlier.
According to him, H-1B has weak protections, which is why, he said, “Silicon Valley loves it.” He added, “It’s not an immigration issue but a labor issue. You are intervening into the labor market, injecting workers here. You should have a high bar to inject workers who have fewer rights, who are sort of second class in a lot of ways and their worker protections are just very weak. Any guest worker program needs very strong worker protection.”