On H-1B visas, Trump administration assures US 'going to keep using visa programmes'

A DAY after US President Donald Trump spoke in support of H-1B visas, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the United States will continue using the visa programs and highlighted that an increasing number of foreign-born individuals are becoming naturalized citizens under the Trump administration.

In an interview with Fox News, Noem stated, “We're going to keep using our visa programmes. We're just going to make sure that they have integrity, that we're actually doing the vetting of the individuals who come into this country, that they want to be here for the right reasons, that they're not supporters of terrorists and organisations that hate America.”

Noem was asked what the administration’s position is on the H-1B visas in the wake of Trump’s latest remarks that America has to bring in talent since it does not have "certain talents”.

“And that's what I think is so remarkable… under the Trump administration, we've sped up our process and added integrity to the visa programmes, to Green Cards, to all of that. But also, more people are becoming naturalised under this administration than ever before," she said.

She further said, “More people are becoming citizens because we're not just streamlining and building some processes back into our immigration policies, we're also making sure that these individuals who are coming into our country and get that privilege, that they actually are here for the right reasons.”

Biden administration allowed 'thousands of terrorists' into US, says Noem

Noem claimed that the Biden administration allowed “thousands of terrorists” into the US by opening the Southern border and misusing asylum, protective, and visa programs, all of which she said were later fixed.

She added, “It's remarkable what President Trump has done, and it's because he's a great leader, he’s a visionary, and this man is going to go down as a legend in history as our greatest president ever.”

Trump defended the H-1B visa program, emphasising the need to bring in global talent. “I agree but you also do have to bring in talent,” Trump said during an interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News.

He was addressing whether the H-1B visa issue would be a major priority for his administration, noting that raising wages for American workers would be difficult if the country brought in hundreds of thousands of foreign workers.

When Ingraham mentioned, "we have plenty of talent,” Trump responded, “No, you don’t, no you don’t. You don’t have certain talents. And people have to learn. You can't take people off an unemployment line, and say, ‘I'm going to put you into a factory, we're going to make missiles’.”

He also cited a case in Georgia where authorities targeted illegal immigrants, even though foreign experts from South Korea, experienced in battery production, were essential.

“You know, making batteries is very complicated. It's not an easy thing, and very dangerous. A lot of explosions, a lot of problems. They had, like 500-600 people, early stages to make batteries and to teach people how to do it. Well, they wanted them to get out of the country. You're going to need that…I mean, I know you and I disagree on this. You can't just say a country is coming in, going to invest USD 10 billion to build a plant and going to take people off an unemployment line who haven't worked in five years, and they're going to start making missiles. It doesn't work that way.”

The Trump administration has intensified scrutiny to prevent misuse of the H-1B visa program, widely used by tech companies to hire foreign workers, with Indian professionals comprising a large portion of H-1B holders.

In September 2025, Trump issued a proclamation titled ‘Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers,’ introducing a $100,000 payment requirement for certain H-1B petitions filed after September 21, 2025. Last week, the administration launched roughly 175 investigations into H-1B abuse, including low wages, nonexistent work sites, and “benching” employees.

“As part of our mission to protect American jobs, we’ve launched 175 investigations into H-1B abuse,” the US Department of Labour stated on X.

The post added that under President Trump and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the agency will continue prioritising American workers. Chavez-DeRemer said on X that the Labor Department “is using every resource at our disposal to put a stop to H-1B abuse and protect American Jobs. Under the leadership of @POTUS, we’ll continue to invest in our workforce and ensure high-skilled job opportunities go to American Workers FIRST!”