Investigation into Anti-American Discrimination
The Justice Department’s civil rights section is looking into multiple claims of discrimination against Americans by hiring managers and their companies, according to Harmeet Dhillon, the U.S. assistant attorney general for civil rights.
In a conversation with streamer Sara Gonzales on September 2, Dhillon emphasized, “We’ve definitely ramped this up significantly; it’s become our primary focus. Almost all of our new cases related to labor discrimination involve situations where Americans are being discriminated against.”
She added that they are collaborating with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Labor to combat this discrimination and create a fair environment for American workers.
Dhillon’s remarks received support from advocates for U.S. professionals. Kevin Lynn, founder of U.S. Tech Workers, a group advocating for American jobs, stated that she is doing “a great deal” within the boundaries of the law. He noted, “Progress is being made on two fronts. The electorate is becoming more energized on this visa worker issue, making it a losing proposition for any candidate—especially Republicans—while also pressuring the administration to prioritize it.”
There has been growing concern that various federal visa worker programs, like the H-1B program, are being exploited by U.S. companies primarily for profit. Recently, an Indian migrant was convicted for selling a lucrative job to another Indian migrant at a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, which works with U.S. veterans’ healthcare.
Currently, over 1.5 million visa workers occupy positions that could go to Americans. Under existing federal law, companies are not required to search for qualified Americans first. Dhillon explained: “There’s no obligation to demonstrate that an American is unavailable. However, our federal civil rights laws deem nationality discrimination as a violation of employment law. Previously, the DOJ and other agencies didn’t recognize anti-American discrimination as national origin discrimination, but, of course, American is a national origin.”
Vice President JD Vance has been advocating for reforms aimed at protecting American workers. Meanwhile, government bodies are formulating regulations to address fraud and discrimination in these visa programs. The Inspector General of the Department of Labor is investigating numerous allegations of fraudulent activities within these worker programs.
According to IG Anthony D’Esposito, “This isn’t simply fraud; it resembles a criminal enterprise extending beyond U.S. borders.” He suggested that ongoing investigations might reveal connections between individuals selling jobs and various criminal organizations, which could lead to significant changes in oversight from lawmakers.
Dhillon pointed out how visa programs affect corporate payroll expenses: “Let me be clear. Employers, regardless of their political stance, benefit from lower wages paid to foreign workers.” She stressed the need for lawmakers to ensure protections for American workers, as discrimination based on national origin is against both federal and state laws.
She also indicated that the current system, often involving “Body shops” for subcontracting, is flawed. Dhillon described it: “I’ve spent 25 years in Silicon Valley, and the reality is that there are typically multiple body shops involved for each major corporation. They often trade these workers like commodities.” This creates a situation where the visa worker may receive a decent wage, but walk away with significantly less after all the middlemen take their cuts, leaving them in a vulnerable position.
This situation, as Dhillon notes, mirrors human trafficking, and while Congress could intervene—many believe they should—these abuses continue under the existing practices of the visa system.
Additionally, the visa worker economy has become profitable, often intertwined with kickback schemes, with politicians and influential groups placing pressure on companies to favor minority- or women-owned businesses in contracting, contributing to the problem.
With rising dissatisfaction among college-educated voters—many replaced by visa workers—the H-1B program alone keeps over 730,000 migrants, with at least 150,000 spouses in roles that could otherwise benefit Americans, exacerbating unemployment issues for even newly graduated U.S. computer scientists.
While lawmakers, particularly Republicans, are looking to limit the inflow of visa workers, many corporations and lobbyists continue to protect the visa programs without significant opposition from Democrats. Critiques of Dhillon are emerging, with some, like former civil rights division head Vanita Gupta, accusing her of misusing power against the very individuals the division was established to protect.
However, discussions around these critical employment and visa issues are notably absent in mainstream media coverage, leaving a significant gap in public understanding of their impact on American prosperity.
