by Sharon Rondeau
(Oct. 8, 20206) — At approximately 10:15 a.m. EDT Thursday, Vice President J.D. Vance launched a press conference on behalf of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud regarding alleged abuse of the HB-1 visa program, which allows American employers to bring foreign skilled workers to the U.S. to perform work Americans allegedly cannot do.
At 10:19, Vance stated unequivocally that “Microsoft” is the top abusive employer of the HB-1 program and will be suspended from the “perm” sub-program which allows such foreign workers to apply for green cards.
The malfeasance in which Microsoft and other employers reportedly participate creates “indentured servants” who are “abused,” Vance said, and undercuts American workers by paying them lower than market-scale wages while laying off American citizens.
“We cannot allow visa programs…to undercut the wages of American workers,” he said. “Elon Musk” is an example of someone who would qualify for an HB-1 visa under the statute’s original intent rather than unskilled workers willing to work for substantially lower wages than an American, Vance added.
Infosys, Adobe and other tech companies are also suspended from participation in the “perm” program.
“I urge Congress to reform this program,” Vance continued. “A lot more we can do if Congress were willing to play ball…Get to work and we will help you, but we will do everything we can to reform the program…” he said.
Some of America’s leading universities, Vance said, are also participating in visa-related fraud: Harvard, Brown, MIT, CalState, and others.
After Vance’s remarks, Labor Department Secretary Keith Sonderling spoke briefly, reinforcing Vance’s announcement. He was followed by Attorney General Todd Blanche, who said the Justice Department is “actively investigating” alleged violations of the HB-1 visa program which hurts American workers. “The issue of foreign-labor favoritism is something no one should ignore,” Blanche said.
On September 19, 2025, the Labor Department announced a new effort, “Project Firewall,” to “safeguard the rights, wages, and job opportunities of highly skilled American workers by ensuring employers prioritize qualified Americans when hiring workers and holding employers accountable if they abuse the H-1B visa process.“
White House Senior Adviser Stephen Miller spoke next, stating that “our worst nightmares about the fraud that has been going on for years” have been confirmed by the special task force.
The task force’s investigations into “the H1B program and the perm program attached to it,” Miller said, have revealed “individuals that are being brought into the country for skills that are not specialized…Because of this task force, this kind of unlawful conduct…has resulted in real concrete federal action.”
At the same time, Miller said, “homegrown American talent” has been overlooked.
Miller praised the overall work of the Trump administration in rooting out all forms of fraud in federal programs.
Labor Department Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito, a former NYPD officer, spoke next, expounding upon the institutions of higher learning Vance had previously claimed are abusing the J-1 visa program most egregiously.
Task Force Vice Chair Andrew Ferguson, for his part, said “benefits fraud” “takes the food out of the mouths of children.” “Fraud is a frontal assault” on Americans, he said, and if not halted, “crime will continue to rise.”
“Protecting institutions that Americans built” is the purpose of the fraud task force, Ferguson said.
Vance gave further brief remarks, then opened the presser to reporters’ questions.
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