Anthony D'Esposito announced the Trump administration's first major H-1B visa and PERM fraud probe and said investigators have already begun issuing dozens of subpoenas. He said the inquiry also looks at labor trafficking and the displacement of American workers.
On Mornings with Maria, D'Esposito tied the case to what he called a broader fraud problem and said: "This is another example where fraud is fueling violent crime". He also said, "Much of the visa and the human trafficking that we see when it comes to this foreign labor is tied to cartels, is tied to transnational gangs, and this is the work that we should be doing, not only to make America safe again, but to make America more affordable again."
Anthony D'Esposito and Mornings with Maria
D'Esposito said the fraudsters are not limited to manual labor cases. "This is not just people working in factories or actual labor," he said. "These are people working in medical facilities and doctors' offices that are actually putting people in harm's way."
The investigation comes as the Trump administration uses the Labor Department Inspector General office to press a wider anti-fraud campaign. Vice President JD Vance had a nationwide fraud initiative event scheduled in Milwaukee later that day, giving the announcement immediate political timing inside the administration's own messaging.
H-1B and PERM scrutiny
H-1B visas are a non-immigrant work visa that allows companies in the U.S. to hire highly-skilled foreign workers in specialty occupations for an initial period of three years that can be extended to six years. The probe lands in a system that is heavily used by the tech industry, which accounts for roughly 60% to 70% of all new H-1B applications in recent years.
Anthony D'Esposito said other top users include consulting and professional services, engineering and manufacturing, healthcare and medical research, and higher education. He also said California, New York and Illinois are among the top five states for applicants.
Dozens of subpoenas
The scale is already visible in the subpoenas. D'Esposito said investigators have begun issuing dozens of them, but he did not identify the targets. He said the administration's goal is to make sure hardworking Americans are not seeing their jobs taken away by foreigners or people who are gaming the system.
That leaves the practical question for employers and workers in H-1B and PERM cases: who the subpoenas are aimed at, and how far the inquiry will reach into the sectors that depend most on foreign specialty labor.
