NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Panama City Beach, FL, August 10, 2025: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took direct aim at the United States’ H-1B visa program during a recent press event at Boon Docks in Panama City Beach, calling it a “total scam” and a “terrible policy” that unfairly displaces American workers.
“They’re laying off all these American workers and then they’re importing H-1B visa people to work for cheaper,” DeSantis said. “I think that’s a total scam. Now it’s not illegal, but it’s bad policy. We should not be replacing our own people with cheaper foreign labor.”
The governor argued that the program creates an exploitative arrangement for foreign workers as well. “It’s almost like indentured servitude,” he said. “They’re tied to the company, they can’t just go anywhere else. The company has them over a barrel because if they lose their job, they lose their status. That’s not the way a free labor market should work.”
DeSantis’ criticism was not limited to the visa holders’ plight—he accused large corporations, particularly in the technology sector, of manipulating the program to drive down wages. “You have these companies that are making billions and billions of dollars, and yet they’ll go to Congress and lobby to expand this program so they can import more people to undercut our own workers,” he said. “That’s not serving the national interest. That’s serving their bottom line.”
While he stopped short of calling for the outright elimination of the H-1B visa, DeSantis made clear he supports reforms to stop what he sees as abuse. “We should be focusing on training and employing our own citizens first. If there’s a legitimate skill shortage, that’s one thing. But this program has been turned into a tool to outsource and undercut American labor, and it’s wrong,” he said.
The H-1B visa allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations such as technology, engineering, and medicine. Supporters argue it fills vital skill gaps and keeps the U.S. competitive in innovation. DeSantis countered that any benefits are outweighed by the impact on American workers. “You’re talking about people losing good jobs in their own country,” he said. “If we can’t stand up for them, what are we doing?”
Cover photo courtesy: https://www.flgov.com.
Importing foreigners while firing American workers is terrible policy and a scam… https://t.co/SAmrg6NwCy
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) July 30, 2025
