Bill to ban H-1B visas ‘efficient way to hurt Americans,’ says US Immigration expert
Washington: A leading immigration expert in Washington has termed Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s proposed bill to end H-1B visas as “one of the most efficient ways to hurt Americans,” and would lead to more “preventable deaths.”
In an interview with IANS, Sarah Pierce, the Director of Social Policy at Third Way, a think tank, argued that Greene’s attempt to target the visa programme would “gut access to care overnight.”
“Slashing the flow of foreign workers, including the medical professionals her own communities rely on, would gut access to care overnight.”
On Friday, Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on X, reiterating her plans to introduce a bill to “ban H1B visas in all sectors” except the medical profession.
In a video post on Thursday, Greene announced her bill proposals – allowing only 10,000 visas annually, down from the current 85,000 cap.
She said even that carve-out could be phased out over the next decade. Her bill would also take away from the citizenship path, forcing visa holders to return home.
Pierce stressed that her exemption proposal of 10,000 visas for medical professionals would still lead to more “preventable deaths.”
“The H-1B programme currently brings in far more medical professionals than her arbitrary 10,000-visa cap allows. This bill would leave U.S. families, especially in rural areas, with fewer doctors, longer wait times, and more preventable deaths. It’s cruelty disguised as policy,” she added.
Pierce acknowledged that there are some US workers in tech sectors who have lost jobs due to the H-1B visas, but gutting the entire programme is “both dishonest and dangerous.”
“Eliminating it or drowning it in punitive fees would kneecap the American economy and jeopardise the sectors we rely on most.”
Leading Republican and conservative leaders have demanded the gutting of the H-1B visas after US President Donald Trump defended the foreign worker visa programme.
In an interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham on Tuesday, Trump was asked if his administration planned to deprioritise H-1B visas. He replied, “You do have to bring in talent.”
When Ingraham countered, “We have plenty of talent,” Trump responded, “No you don’t.”
“You don’t have certain talents….And people have to learn, you can’t take people off an unemployment line and say, I’m going to put you into a factory. We’re going to make missiles,” he added.
Laura Ingraham, posted on X on Friday, responding to a CNN debate over the issue.
“America’s survival depends on its importing an endless stream of foreign workers—supposedly all geniuses?” she asked.
The White House clarified on Wednesday that it’s committed to cracking down on alleged abuses in the visa system, not scrapping the entire programme.
Trump signed a proclamation in September by announcing a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applications.
Last week, the US Department of Labor (DOL) also launched at least 175 investigations into potential abuses within the H-1B visa programme.
Pierce emphasised that instead of “scapegoating” the programme, US Congress should take the lead in reforming it.
“Congress should do the hard work: reform the programme so it actually delivers for American workers and families. Because the truth is simple—we need more doctors, more home-care workers, and, yes, more high-skilled tech talent if we want this country to function,” she said.
The administration’s H-1B visa policy has already faced legal challenges with two major lawsuits filed in courts, including the one by the US Chamber of Commerce, the country’s biggest business organisation.
Pierce said she would be “very surprised” if those cases are not successful, but highlighted the plight of applicants who are currently facing visa hurdles.
“I will be very surprised if the legal challenges aren’t successful. Unfortunately, even if they are, that doesn’t help applicants who are currently applying and being forced to pay the absurdly high fee,” she noted.
India-born workers received over 70 per cent of the total approved H1-B visas in 2024, primarily due to a huge backlog in approvals and a high number of skilled immigrants from India.