H-1B crackdown widens? Trump administration flags OPT, PERM and J-1 hiring practices in warning

H-1B crackdown widens? Trump administration flags OPT, PERM and J-1 hiring practices in warning

A senior official from the Justice Department has indicated that the Trump administration is intensifying its examination of employers suspected of favoring foreign labor over qualified American workers. This initiative may involve heightened enforcement across various visa programs, including H-1B, Optional Practical Training (OPT), PERM, and J-1 visas.

Dhillon, the assistant attorney general leading the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said in a post on X that federal employment laws require a “level playing field” for American workers and foreign nationals. She said the administration would not allow employers to discriminate against US workers and indicated that the Justice Department was working with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Labor on the issue. In her post, Dhillon listed several practices that she said could violate US labor and employment laws. The assistant attorney general said the Justice Department, EEOC and Labor Department were “all on the case” and working together to level the playing field for US workers. Dhillon said companies that sideline or reject American workers while using foreign labor programs could face consequences if their practices violate the law.

Harmeet K. The comments come as the Trump administration continues to take a harder line on employment-based immigration and the use of foreign workers.