The Trump administration is pressing American companies and universities over how they use foreign-worker visa programs. Vice President JD Vance and the Labor Department announced action Thursday against some of the biggest names in tech and higher education.

The move is part of a broader federal fraud task force effort, and it raises questions about jobs, wages, and fairness for American workers.

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From the Daily Wire: 

Vice President JD Vance and the Department of Labor announced a crackdown Thursday on alleged foreign-worker visa abuse, suspending eight companies, including Microsoft and Adobe, from a key green-card program and launching investigations into nine major universities over their use of J-1 visas.

PERM is a key step for employers seeking to sponsor foreign workers for employment-based permanent residency. Under the program, employers generally must demonstrate that not enough qualified American workers are available for the position and that hiring the foreign worker will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed Americans.

“For every worker that Microsoft laid off, they replaced that worker with one and a half foreign indentured servants,” Vance said. Microsoft disputed that characterization. A company spokesperson told Politico that approximately 6,000 H-1B applications were submitted during the last fiscal year, but that 80% were for extensions or changes of status involving existing Microsoft employees rather than new hires. The company also said it files H-1B petitions only for workers who meet the program’s requirements and that H-1B employees performing comparable work receive comparable pay.

The other companies suspended from the PERM program are Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies, and Capgemini. The Labor Department said it will not accept new applications or process pending ones involving these companies while the suspensions remain in place. Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said the companies had collectively requested nearly 3 million foreign workers since 2009. They received more than 230,000 H-1B approvals and more than 100,000 permanent labor certifications. Initial reporting did not include responses from the companies other than Microsoft.

The Labor Department’s inspector general is also investigating Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Brown, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of California, Davis, Caltech, Arizona State University, and MIT over potential J-1 visa fraud. Subpoenas have been issued. Vance said J-1 workers make up about 61% of those doing federally funded research at those schools, compared with 38% nationally. He also claimed American researchers cost universities about $20,000 more per year. Investigators are looking at whether foreign workers filled positions once held by laid-off Americans. An investigation is not a finding of wrongdoing, and no university has been found to have broken the law.

The administration says the task force has uncovered billions of dollars in fraud and secured more than 200 convictions, including in pandemic-era unemployment insurance cases. It has also pursued other limits on employment-based immigration, including a proposed six-figure fee for H-1B applications.

Scripture speaks to both justice for workers and the right use of government authority. Deuteronomy 24:14 warns against oppressing a hired worker, and Romans 13:3-4 describes government as God’s servant to punish wrongdoing and protect the good. A system meant to protect American wages should be honest, and so should those who use it. Scripture also calls for patience and fairness before conclusions are reached. Proverbs 18:17 says the one who states his case first seems right until the other comes and examines him. These allegations deserve a full hearing. Foreign workers and their families are people made in God’s image and should be treated with dignity whatever the outcome.

Let’s pray for American workers, graduate students, and researchers who fear losing their livelihoods. Let’s pray for foreign workers and families facing uncertainty, that they would be treated with dignity and fairness. Let’s pray for truthful, thorough, and impartial investigations. Let’s pray for Vice President Vance, Secretary Sonderling, and all involved to act with wisdom and integrity, and for companies and universities to deal honestly.

How are you praying about this issue? Share your prayers and scriptures in the comments below.

(Excerpt from the Daily Wire. Photo Credit: The White House – https://x.com/VP/status/2037874125809635605, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=187957396).