Steve Cortes, Founder of the League of American Workers, has called for the termination of immigration programs like the H-1B high-skilled worker visa system. He argues that these programs contribute to labor competition amid economic stress and automation. This statement was made on X.
“These programs MUST be eliminated,” said Cortes. “In a time of general economic stress + AI wiping out a lot of entry-level tasks, the last thing America needs are lanes for masses of foreigners to come into the US labor market. Protect our citizen workers!”
Debates in the United States over the H-1B visa program have intensified as the economy slows and artificial intelligence (AI) adoption accelerates. Critics warn that inexpensive skilled visas undercut American workers, while supporters argue they fill critical gaps. In September 2025, President Trump imposed a one-time $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions to discourage reliance on foreign specialists. According to Reuters Breakingviews, this “H-1B visa war” may drive firms toward offshoring and automation while testing how far anti-immigration politics can proceed without harming competitiveness.
In fiscal year 2024, approximately 500,000 H-1B visa holders were employed in the United States, predominantly in computer-related jobs such as software development and systems analysis. A Washington Post analysis of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data reveals that 71% of these workers were born in India and 11.7% in China, indicating a strong reliance on just two source countries. The same report notes that new H-1B approvals had a median salary around $101,000, while continuing workers earned about $135,000, mostly within large tech firms.
A 2025 Congressional Research Service (CRS) summary of two quasi-experimental studies finds that when firms win an additional H-1B petition, employment of other workers falls by about 1.5 positions on average; however, these losses are concentrated among other foreign-born staff rather than U.S.-born workers. According to CRS findings, one study reports no net employment loss for natives at H-1B-utilizing firms. Meanwhile, a Richmond Federal Reserve brief suggests that the new $100,000 fee could alleviate downward wage pressure on comparable U.S. workers but might reduce skilled immigration and encourage offshoring.
Cortes is also a senior political advisor to CatholicVote and a former senior advisor to President Trump and JD Vance. Additionally, he has served as a commentator for Fox News and CNN and regularly releases documentaries and columns at cortesinvestigates.com.
