The US Department of Labor has begun a nationwide crackdown on H-1B visa abuses. The administration has unveiled Project Firewall to investigate companies that underpay foreign workers or bypass rules designed to prioritise US talent.
The initiative will target employers that misrepresent job roles, fail to report layoffs or exploit loopholes in the system to displace qualified Americans. The Department said the programme aims to ensure strict adherence to labour rules and increase accountability among companies hiring foreign workers. “The ongoing project ensures employers prioritise qualified Americans when hiring and includes enforcement actions to hold employers accountable if they abuse the H-1B visa program,” the agency said.
Political tensions over immigration, jobs
The enforcement push comes amid heightened political debate over immigration and jobs. President Donald Trump and his allies have frequently argued that the H-1B system has been misused to replace American workers with cheaper labour from overseas. Officials described Project Firewall as part of broader efforts to strengthen the “America First” labour policy.
The Labor Department said investigations have already uncovered violations, including falsified job advertisements intended to exclude American candidates, unpaid wages owed to workers and inaccurate reporting of job locations and terminations. All of these practices breach compliance requirements under the H-1B framework.
Penalties and enforcement measures
Under Project Firewall, the department will launch targeted investigations, impose fines, recover back wages and issue civil penalties. Employers found guilty of repeated or intentional violations could be temporarily barred from accessing US foreign labour visa programmes.
The department added that it will coordinate with other federal agencies to track suspected fraud and combat employment discrimination against American workers.
Republicans push for stronger oversight
Criticism of the H-1B system continues from senior Republican figures. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has called the programme a “total scam”, alleging that some companies lay off US employees while hiring foreign talent in the same positions.
The enforcement campaign follows the executive order instructing the Department of Homeland Security to significantly raise the H-1B registration fee $100,000. Announcing the initiative at the time, Trump said, “This program has been abused for too long…It’s time to fix it.”
India and China top H-1B sources
According to Pew Research Center data, workers from India remain the largest beneficiaries of the H-1B programme, making up 73% of visa holders, followed by China at 12%. Concerns among foreign workers rose after earlier reform announcements. The Trump administration later assured that new measures would apply only to future applicants and not current visa holders temporarily outside the country.
