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US Green card sponsorship curb on tech firms draws praise from Trump allies, fury from Democrats
California Governor Gavin Newsom accused President Trump of wrecking America’s legal immigration system as a political ploy.
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The Donald Trump administration’s decision to effectively block eight major technology companies, including four Indian IT giants, from sponsoring foreign workers for green cards by suspending them from a labour certification program drew mixed reactions from across the political spectrum.
Allies of President Trump largely welcomed the administration’s efforts to crack down on what they see as rampant visa fraud and abuse perpetrated by the country’s largest technology firms, including Microsoft. Meanwhile, key members of the Democratic party – including Indian-American lawmakers Pramila Jayapal and Ami Bera – castigated the administration for diminishing America’s ability to attract global talent.
“The American economy should benefit the American people. No more selling out the American worker,” said Republican US Senator Eric Schmitt on X, while accusing technology firms of “deception and fraud” for their alleged abuse of the green card system to undercut American workers by hiring foreign talent.
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Republican Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne, who has alleged that “rampant H-1B fraud” has undercut workers in Texas, also welcomed the move. Van Duyne has repeatedly endorsed the work of controversial conservative commentator Sara Gonzalez, who has drawn condemnation from Indian-American groups for allegedly racially stereotyping the community in her social media content, which purports to expose H-1B visa fraud in the US.
On the other side of the debate, California Governor Gavin Newsom accused President Trump of wrecking America’s legal immigration system as a political ploy.
“You don’t make America stronger by shutting the door on talent. You invest in American workers and attract the world’s best and brightest. Donald Trump is taking a sledgehammer to legal immigration and undermining our economy — all to distract from his own failures,” Newsom, who is widely regarded as one of the frontrunners for the Democratic party’s nominee in the 2028 presidential election, said on X.
Meanwhile, Indian-American Representative Pramila Jayapal also hit out at the Trump administration.
“Our economy, our communities, and our families depend on immigrants in many sectors, including the tech sector, and heavy-handed attacks like this only hurt efforts to build a strong, stable, and diverse base of workers who have legal pathways to come and be in the United States while also protecting U.S. workers from unscrupulous employers,” said Jayapal on X, before going on to defend tech giant Microsoft from accusations of visa fraud and abuse made by Vice President JD Vance and other top US officials on Monday.
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"Professionals working in the United States through the H-1B visa program make significant contributions to our economy and strengthen American leadership in technology and innovation. While we must protect American workers and investigate credible allegations of visa fraud, we should not unfairly penalize skilled foreign workers who have followed the rules. This announcement from the Administration risks unfairly jeopardizing future green card applications for thousands of skilled foreign workers, many of whom are Indian nationals. The United States must remain a nation that attracts top talent from around the world,” noted Congressman Ami Bera in a statement.
Amid the political battle over the suspensions, software industry body NASSCOM stressed that Indian technology firms had reduced their use of the H-1B visa program in favour of local hiring. In a statement, the industry group argued that only a “relatively limited” number of employees had transitioned from H-1B visas to permanent residence in the US due to this shift.
