The Trump administration is increasing scrutiny of employers that hire foreign workers through the H-1B visa program. But a central question remains unanswered: How many Americans have actually lost their jobs because companies hired temporary foreign workers instead?
President Donald Trump directed federal agencies on September 18 to consider whether H-1B sponsors laid off similarly situated U.S. workers within the preceding year or plan to do so. The executive order also calls for reviewing previous employer filings for possible enforcement action.
The move places new attention on companies making hiring decisions, rather than treating every foreign worker as responsible for American layoffs.
It also exposes a major gap in public accountability: Federal officials have not supplied a verified nationwide count of American workers directly displaced by H-1B hiring.
The Layoff Number Does Not Tell the Whole Story
The White House estimated that technology-sector employers collectively laid off between 800,000 and 1.3 million American employees from 2022 through 2026, even as employers in that sector requested hundreds of thousands of H-1B visas.
That White House estimate does not mean H-1B workers replaced 800,000 to 1.3 million Americans. Layoffs have multiple causes, and overlapping layoffs and visa applications do not by themselves prove job-for-job replacement.
For a household, however, the loss of one paycheck can affect mortgage payments, health coverage and college savings. The administration’s published figures do not count how many families suffered such losses specifically because of unlawful H-1B displacement.
What About American College Graduates?
The administration also pointed to unemployment of 5.7% and underemployment of 42% among recent college graduates as of June 2026, according to its September 18 proclamation. Those nationwide figures describe graduates broadly; they do not show that H-1B hiring caused the problem.
The concern carries particular weight in technology.
Pew Research Center found that 65% of workers with H-1B approvals in fiscal 2023 held computer-related jobs. The concentration makes employer recruiting practices worth examining.
The policy question is whether employers recruit foreign specialists to fill genuine skills gaps or use visa sponsorship to bypass qualified Americans and reduce labor costs.
Dallas Investigators Look for Fraud
The Labor Department inspector general conducted field checks in Dallas in August at businesses associated with hundreds of approved H-1B petitions. At one building linked to more than 500 approvals, inspectors encountered offices with signs of inactivity, the agency announced. The findings prompted scrutiny.
Separately, The Dallas Express examined a federal proposal Thursday involving closer review of H-1B extensions. Federal figures showed fraud or noncompliance in 22.39% of worksites in a set of administrative and targeted inspections tied to extension cases during fiscal years 2022 through 2025. That figure is not the fraud rate for all H-1B employers or workers.
H-1B supporters argue that lawful hiring allows businesses to recruit specialized talent, while enforcement officials have documented abuse by some employers.
The test for Washington is whether tougher reviews will identify actual violations and establish how many American jobs particular employers improperly displaced.
The Dallas Express Has Tracked H-1B Abuses Across North Texas
The Dallas Express has extensively covered H-1B hiring practices, taxpayer spending and allegations of visa fraud across North Texas, including original reporting on public expenditures and federal criminal proceedings.
In January, DX revealed that Dallas ISD spent approximately $2.54 million in taxpayer funds on immigration legal services involving hundreds of H-1B transactions. The findings prompted questions from U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) about whether the program properly prioritizes American workers.
DX also covered Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s investigation into three North Texas businesses suspected of using sham operations and questionable office locations to sponsor foreign workers.
In March, DX examined a federal criminal case involving allegations of a seven-year immigration fraud scheme in the Dallas area. Prosecutors accused the defendants of submitting fraudulent employment-based immigration applications, including H-1B petitions.
The Dallas Express’ coverage has also extended to federal enforcement proposals, lawmakers’ demands for greater oversight and documented weaknesses in visa verification.
Together, these investigations place North Texas at the center of a larger accountability question: Whether federal and state authorities can identify fraudulent employers, establish the true cost of H-1B abuses, and protect qualified American workers.
Provided by Dallas Express
