White House Defends $100K H-1B Visa Fee to Protect American Workers

Washington D.C.: The White House has strongly defended the Trump administration’s controversial $100,000 H-1B visa application fee, describing it as a crucial measure to curb system abuse and protect American workers from being displaced by lower-paid foreign labor.

A spokesperson emphasized that President Donald Trump has “done more than any president in modern history to tighten immigration laws and put American workers first.” The fee, they added, is a significant step toward ensuring that H-1B visas are used to bring in only the highest-skilled foreign professionals in specialty occupations.

“The $100,000 payment required for new H-1B visa applications is intended to prevent misuse of the system and safeguard jobs for Americans,” the spokesperson said. They also highlighted the launch of “Project Firewall,” an initiative by the Department of Labor aimed at investigating companies that violate H-1B visa regulations.

The announcement comes amid heated debate over the H-1B visa program, which allows U.S. companies to hire skilled foreign professionals. While supporters argue that the program attracts essential talent, critics, including Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, have called for banning H-1B visas in all sectors except healthcare. Greene argues that ending the visa program would create more job opportunities and housing availability for American citizens.

However, experts warn that such measures could have unintended consequences. Sarah Pierce, Director of Social Policy at think tank Third Way, said that curbing H-1B visas could “gut access to care overnight,” particularly in the medical sector, affecting communities that rely on foreign professionals.

President Trump defended the program in an interview, stressing the need to import specialized talent. He noted that certain skills are not readily available in the U.S., stating, “you can’t take people off an unemployment line and expect them to operate high-tech equipment or work in advanced industries.”

As the debate continues, the H-1B visa fee and stricter enforcement measures signal a broader focus of the Trump administration on tightening immigration laws while prioritizing the employment of American citizens in critical sectors.