Washington— The US Department of Labor has released a new video advertisement accusing foreign workers of “stealing” the American dream through alleged misuse of the H-1B visa program. The video, shared on the department’s official X handle on Thursday, features a pie chart showing India holding the largest share of H-1B visa holders at 72 percent.
The video’s voiceover declares, “Many young Americans have had this dream stolen from them by foreign workers as politicians and bureaucrats allowed companies to abuse the H-1B visa.” It goes on to highlight President Donald Trump’s Project Firewall, a policy initiative aimed at holding companies accountable for visa misuse and prioritizing American citizens in hiring. The 52-second clip ends with the tagline, “Recapturing the American Dream for the American people.”
The advertisement aligns with the Trump administration’s ongoing crackdown on work visas, part of a broader anti-immigration stance. Data from the US Office of Homeland Security shows that India was the largest source of non-immigrant residents in fiscal year 2024, contributing 33 percent of the total.
Last month, President Trump signed a proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications, effective September 21. The decision sparked widespread concern among Indian professionals in the US, prompting the White House to clarify that the fee is a one-time charge and does not affect current visa holders.
The H-1B visa allows US firms to employ skilled foreign professionals in sectors such as IT, engineering, and healthcare for an initial period of three years, extendable up to six. The administration justified the fee hike as a measure to ensure that only “highly skilled foreign workers, who cannot be replaced by American workers,” enter the country.
