“The H-1B visa program was created to supplement the United States’ workforce — not to replace it. Evidence suggests that bad actors have exploited this program by failing to make good-faith efforts to recruit qualified U.S. workers before seeking to use foreign labor.” – Gov. Abbott in a letter to agency heads
Texas becomes the new battleground for anti-H-1B agenda. According to the latest from the Lone Star State, Governor Greg Abbott has issued an order to all state agencies and public universities to immediately freeze any new H-1B visa petitions. The H-1B visa program has been under heavy scrutiny ever since President Donald Trump took office with many demanding a complete overhaul of the program.
As per Abbott, the H-1B visa program that hires skilled foreign employees is used widely by public universities. But it has been used in ways that disadvantage American workers. The halt would last through May 31, 2027, the end of the state’s next legislative session. It may be noted that the program does not affect private-sector companies.
In a letter issued to the heads of agencies, the governor wrote: “In light of recent reports of abuse in the federal H-1B visa program, and amid the federal government’s ongoing review of that program to ensure American jobs are going to American workers, I am directing all state agencies to immediately freeze new H-1B visa petitions as outlined in this letter.”
READ: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to ‘pull the plug’ on H-1B use at state universities (October 29, 2025)
The letter also read: “Evidence suggests that bad actors have exploited this program by failing to make good-faith efforts to recruit qualified U.S. workers before seeking to use foreign labor. In the most egregious schemes, employers have even fired American workers and replaced them with H-1B employees, often at lower wages. Rather than serving its intended purpose of attracting the best and brightest individuals from around the world to our nation to fill truly specialized and unmet labor needs, the program has too often been used to fill jobs that otherwise could—and should— have been filled by Texans.”
Texas is not the first state to implement a tighter control on H-1B visas. In October 2025, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a directive to ban H-1B visas at state universities. He ordered institutions to hire Americans instead of foreign workers. He cited visa abuse for the directive. On Jan. 29, the State University System of Florida’s Board of Governors will be voting on whether to advance the draft policy for public comment. If approved this directive would then prohibit all state-run universities in Florida from using the H-1B program for new hires until Jan. 5, 2027.