Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, on Wednesday, ordered the state's Board of Governors, the top higher education board, to prevent state universities from hiring foreign specialty workers. In the press conference at Tampa, DeSantis said they should pull the plug on the use of H-1B visas in universities.
“Universities across the country are importing foreign workers on H-1B visas instead of hiring Americans who are qualified and available to do the job. We will not tolerate H-1B abuse in Florida institutions,” DeSantis said.
He added, “That’s why I have directed the Florida Board of Governors to end this practice.” On X, he further wrote, “Florida leads the nation in higher education, and thousands of highly qualified Americans graduate from our colleges and universities every year.”
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The Florida governor concluded his message, saying, “If any universities are truly struggling to find U.S. citizens to fill their job openings, they ought to evaluate their academic programs to determine why they cannot produce graduates who can be hired for these positions.”
The move comes a month after President Donald Trump included a $100,000 fee for future H-1B applicants amid the administration's crackdown on illegal immigration and efforts to root out ‘abuse’ of the H-1B visa program system.
What Governor DeSantis said in his order?
{{/usCountry}}The move comes a month after President Donald Trump included a $100,000 fee for future H-1B applicants amid the administration's crackdown on illegal immigration and efforts to root out ‘abuse’ of the H-1B visa program system.
What Governor DeSantis said in his order?
{{/usCountry}}DeSantis said that when Florida looked at its universities, the state found there were H-1B computer application coordinators from China, assistant professors from China, and even an assistant swim coach from Spain, on a H-1B visa. He said as much to a person on X, who was criticizing his order.
“These are not elite positions. The FL audit found H1Bs used for assistant athletic coaches and media relations specialists,” DeSantis wrote.
“A $40,000 a year job working as the assistant at the athletic department? That’s an abuse of this whole idea,” he said, while issuing the order to pull the plug on H-1Bs in universities. DeSantis explained that there was a need to ensure citizens of Florida were first in line for such job opportunities.
“If there are things that the universities need that somehow they just can’t find in Florida, to me, they, of all employers, would be the ones most responsible for why they can’t find what they need,” the governor said. He said H-1B workers were just ‘cheap labor’ universities were bringing in to ‘try and save money’.
H-1B visa holders in Florida universities: What numbers say
As per USCIS data on H-1Bs, in Florida education space, there are 78 employers and 677 beneficiaries. University of Florida has the highest with 156 H1-B beneficiaries, while University of Miami has 90 beneficiaries. University of South Florida comes in third with 72 such beneficiaries, Florida Phoenix reported.
Reactions to DeSantis' order
DeSantis' order was met with mixed reactions on X, with some suggesting how to help the American worker even more, while others expressed support for H-1B hires.
“Universities also put ridiculously high qualifications on lower level jobs. This disqualifies local workers for lower level positions such as a receptionist. The State should review and approve a standard set of job requirements for standard jobs in all State Universities,” a person on X wrote.
Another added, “Now, let's sit back and watch the academic performance of those universities plummet when they are filled with K-12 students from the 22nd-worst public school system in the country.”
Yet another said, “If the universities are putting out subpar graduates, they should lose their state and federal funding.! Their own grad students should be able to teach!!”