The US Department of Labor has stepped up its fight against H-1B visa abuse, with officials confirming the recent report about launching 175 investigations. The department also shared a social media update reiterating its message of “American workers first,” while accusing past DC bureaucrats of ignoring misuse of the visa programme for years.
What triggered this sudden spotlight?
DOL on Sunday said it is now holding employers accountable. “For decades, DC bureaucrats looked the other way as companies abused the H-1B visa and sold out the American Worker,” the department said in an X post. “POTUS and Secretary LCD are bringing this to an end, holding employers accountable for their abuse and ensuring American Jobs go to American workers.”
For decades, D.C. bureaucrats looked the other way as companies abused the H-1B visa and sold out the American Worker.
— U.S. Department of Labor (@USDOL) November 9, 2025
@POTUS and @SecretaryLCD are bringing this to an end—holding employers accountable for their abuse and ensuring American Jobs go to AMERICAN WORKERS 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/746kzC78Tw
Before the big announcement, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer wrote on X that protecting American workers is her top priority under President Trump’s leadership. She said the department has launched an effort called Project Firewall to crack down on “rampant” H-1B abuse and make sure US workers get the first shot at jobs. “That’s why we’re taking action through Project Firewall to hold companies accountable for rampant H-1B abuse and ensure Americans are put first in the hiring process.”
In a recent Fox News interview, she said she has personally signed off on all 175 investigations, something the department has never done before. “We want to make sure these companies are not abusing.”
Just two days earlier, Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling hit out at Senate Democrats, accusing them of blocking Trump’s “America First” agenda and urging them to stop “playing politics” with workers’ lives.
What are the 175 investigations about?
According to Fox News, these investigations are launched to trace the misuse of the H-1B visa programme. Together, they involve more than 15 million dollars in wages that may have been underpaid or manipulated. So far, investigators say they’ve uncovered several troubling patterns.
According to the department, some foreign workers, including those with advanced degrees, were reportedly paid far less than what employers promised on paper. Officials say this kind of behaviour pushes wages down for both foreign and American workers.
In many cases, companies allegedly waited weeks or even months to officially report that an H-1B worker had been fired. Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) are forms employers must file before hiring H-1B workers. Investigators noticed several problems, like the Job locations listed on LCAs didn’t exist in reality, some workers were unaware of the jobs they were “assigned”, Salaries didn’t match what was promised, companies copied and pasted job notices that didn’t match the actual role and so on.
What is Project Firewall?
Project Firewall was launched in September as a direct response to “loopholes and misuse in the H-1B system,” days after Trump announced a hefty $100 K fee on H-1B visas. The H-1B visa is commonly used in tech, engineering, and healthcare to bring in high-skilled talent from abroad. Indian workers form one of the largest groups under this programme. The White House said this move is meant to stop companies from flooding the system with “cheap labour” petitions.
Officials say they want to rebuild trust in the system and make sure American workers don’t lose out. Secretary Chavez-DeRemer said the department is using “every resource” to stop H-1B abuse and will keep pushing under Trump’s leadership.