👉Vance, Labor Dept. To Crackdown On Fraudulent Migrant Workers In U.S.

Vice President JD Vance has received another very important task from President Donald Trump to accomplish.

And already he’s wading right into it.

Vance and the Department of Labor’s inspector general on Wednesday announced a new investigation into alleged abuse of U.S. work visas by foreign nationals, describing it as part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to combat fraud.

Speaking at an anti-fraud event in Milwaukee, Vance said Labor Department officials had issued dozens of subpoenas as part of the investigation, which he said is intended to ensure that “American jobs … go to American workers and not foreign fraudsters.”

Labor Department Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito told the New York Post that investigators believe the alleged schemes have cost the U.S. medical industry hundreds of millions of dollars, while also affecting other employment sectors.

He said some of the operations under investigation are believed to involve forced-labor networks and human trafficking organizations.

Labor’s Office of Inspector General has already “uncovered widespread schemes in which employers and labor brokers submitted fraudulent applications, exploited foreign workers through coercive wage-kickback arrangements, and undercut American workers by flooding the market with below-wage labor.”

Department of Homeland Security assessments so far have found as much as 21 percent of the H-1B petitions were fraudulent, The Post reported.

D’Esposito also told Fox Business’ Mornings with Maria that the investigation will examine alleged abuses involving both H-1B visa holders and recipients of employment-based green cards.

He said investigators are reviewing cases in which foreign workers may have improperly displaced American employees or obtained immigration benefits through fraudulent means, The Post said.

“This is another example where fraud is fueling violent crime,” D’Esposito said, adding that the visa fraud “is tied to cartels, is tied to transnational gangs.”

“This is not just people working in factories or actual labor,” he added. “These are people working in medical facilities and doctors’ offices that are actually putting people in harm’s way.”

At an event in Milwaukee, Wis., Vance said the probe will root out fraudsters who “undercut” American workers.

“This is a visa program that was set up to ensure that if you were a brilliant technology person or a brilliant scientist or a brilliant doctor, you could come to the United States and get access to this visa program,” he told attendees.

“But you know, what’s happening way too much is that big corporations and fraudsters overseas are using this program to undercut the wages of American workers,” he added, according to The Post.

“What we’re doing in the Trump administration, we’re saying, ‘No more,’” the vice president continued.

“If you are trying to take advantage of that visa program, you are not allowed in to the United States of America.”

The H-1B visa program allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations that typically require specialized knowledge and at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent.

The PERM labor certification process is the first step for many foreign nationals seeking employment-based permanent residency, allowing employers to sponsor workers for green cards after demonstrating they cannot readily fill the position with qualified U.S. workers.

According to the Pew Research Center, approximately 73% of H-1B recipients come from India.

More than half hold a master’s degree, and the largest share work in fields such as computer programming, data communications, software development and technical support, noted The Post.

Major technology companies, including Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Apple, are among the largest employers of H-1B visa holders.

Foreign workers admitted through the program are also employed across the health care, manufacturing and higher education sectors, said The Post.

California, Texas, New York, Illinois and Washington receive the largest share of approved H-1B petitions, according to federal data.

The number of approved H-1B petitions reached a high of 442,425 in 2022 during the Biden administration, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center.