Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday paused the sponsorship of H-1B visa workers in public universities and certain state agencies, responding to recent reports of fraud with the federal program in publicly funded institutions.
“The economy of Texas should work for the benefit of Texas workers and Texas employers,” Abbott wrote in his letter to the heads of state agencies, adding that the H-1B “program has too often been used to fill jobs that otherwise could — and should — have been filled by Texans.”
Abbott told state agencies that the pause will remain in effect through the end of the next regular session of the Texas Legislature, unless the sponsoring institution or agency receives permission from the Texas Workforce Commission.
Additionally, Abbott said, all agencies and institutions affected by his directive must provide the commission with a slew of information related to their use of the H-1B program. This includes the number of petitions, how many H-1B recipients are currently employed, along with their national origin, and proof that Texans had “a reasonable opportunity” to apply for positions held by visa holders.
Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu of Houston denounced Abbott’s move, calling it a “government by temper tantrum.”
“Governor Abbott is continuing to make Texas hostile to anyone who doesn’t look like him,” Wu said in a statement to Texas Bullpen. “Combined with the racist anti-alien law Republicans passed this session, the message is clear: if you’re an immigrant who followed every rule, Texas Republicans still don’t want you. Our universities and hospitals will lose world-class talent to states that aren’t run by xenophobes while Abbott chases headlines from the nativist fringe.”
Created in 1990, the H-1B visa program is a federally administered way for employers to hire temporary foreign workers for specialty positions. In Texas, dozens of publicly-funded institutions employ H-1B visa workers. For example, Texas A&M’s flagship campus currently employs 214 visa employees, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which totals around 2% of the university’s entire staff and faculty. A&M has spent more than $3.25 million in taxpayer dollars on H-1B program costs since 2020, per the Dallas Express.
The University of Texas at Austin currently employs 169 H-1B workers, Texas Tech University has 143 on its payroll, while UT-Dallas sponsors 73, which has cost more than $1 million in taxpayer funding since 2020.
GOP opposition to the visa program has grown in recent years. Recent reports of fraud and abuse prompted President Donald Trump to start tightening the reins on the H-1B program, instituting a new $100,000 sponsorship fee in September.
Business leaders have also voiced concerns about limiting the program, warning it could make America and Texas less competitive in the global economy. Major companies in Texas employ thousands of H-1B visa holders, including Tesla, Oracle, and AT&T. Billionaire Elon Musk, who has backed many of Trump’s policies, has defended the program and suggests it is necessary to address a “scarcity of talented people.”
Abbott had signaled his office would soon release an “action plan” in an interview Monday with Dallas radio host Mark Davis, saying that he didn’t see the need for visa employees in Texas public schools.
“We want to make sure our communities are not having people come in and take jobs that Texans could easily fill,” Abbott said.
State agencies must submit the information requested from Abbott by March 27.
Brad Johnson contributed to this report.
