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Texas institutions of higher learning, as well as K-12 schools, are once again in the hot seat. This time, it’s regarding potential fraud and abuse in their use of the H-1B visa system.
Abbott announced yesterday via press release that he had ordered all state agencies, as well as universities, to pause new H-1B visa petitions while a review of visa programs is conducted. This comes after a rise in concerns that Texans who could be working at these agencies and universities were being sidelined by cheaper foreign labor.
He said in the press release regarding the investigation, “State government must lead by example and ensure that employment opportunities—particularly those funded with taxpayer dollars—are filled by Texans first.”
Steve Abramowicz, host of the Heartland Journal Podcast explained, “This is the same problem that we’re seeing in the trucking industry. They’re bringing in truck drivers and paying them lower wages, without being responsible to the unions.”
Abramowicz says he wouldn’t be surprised to learn of fraud and abuse like this—even in Texas—given how much we’ve already seen at the national level. According to him, “No state is immune to it if they’re getting federal funds or using visa programs like H-1B. So the abuse is going to be there; some stats say over 10% of all programs have fraud.”
He added that this is a strong reminder that even red states can fall victim to this fraud and abuse, which is why leaders need to stay on the lookout and root it out whenever they find it.