End the H-1B Program

This campaign demands ending H-1B, H-4 EAD, and OPT/STEM OPT, contending they function as a corporate labor pipeline that redirects wages, jobs, and housing from American workers to employers. It presents quantifiable impacts: an estimated $109-$121 billion in annual payroll flowing through these visas, roughly 1.06-1.09 million U.S.-based positions occupied by visa holders, and about 500,000 housing units tied to H-1B/H-4/OPT households. It highlights that 62.6% of FY2024 H-1B filings used the two lowest prevailing wage tiers (roughly the 17th and 34th percentiles), with software developers cited as an example (U.S. median ~$132,270 vs. Level I ~$94,640 and Level II ~$115,830). OPT/STEM OPT are portrayed as uncapped entry-level pipelines, with ICE reporting 381,140 foreign students on practical-training authorizations in 2024 and ~400,000 H-1B approvals in FY2024, 64% in computer-related roles.

The argument stresses concentrated corporate gains: lower payroll costs, a captive workforce tied to employer sponsorship, and employer-side tax advantages for OPT hires. It documents systemic abuse and weak enforcement - USCIS lottery gaming, DOJ prosecutions of fraud rings, GAO/OIG oversight warnings, and diploma-mill or paper-employer schemes - and notes major program expansions were enacted by statute or regulation rather than public vote. The conclusion: terminate these programs and prioritize hiring, training, and paying Americans.