In a bold move to defend American workers and stop Big Tech’s exploitation of cheap foreign labor, the U.S. Department of Labor, led by Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, has announced an aggressive new initiative to combat H-1B visa abuse. The operation, called Project Firewall, involves 175 active investigations into fraudulent employment practices, wage underpayment, and illegal “benching” of foreign workers — and could result in $15 million in recovered back wages.
The announcement comes after months of warnings from President Trump, who has made it clear that he will not tolerate U.S. companies replacing qualified American workers with underpaid foreign labor. In his words, the goal is simple: “Stop the spamming. Hire American.”
Secretary Chavez-DeRemer echoed that message, declaring, “The Labor Department is using every resource at our disposal to put a stop to H-1B visa abuse. For the first time, I am personally certifying investigations into suspected violations to better protect American jobs.”
Under the new rules, employers who use the H-1B program to undercut U.S. wages or game the system will face steep penalties. The Commerce Department, led by Secretary Howard Lutnick, has implemented a $100,000 fee per H-1B visa — a financial deterrent designed to make it uneconomical for corporations to outsource high-skilled work. “No more will Big Tech companies train foreign workers to replace Americans,” Lutnick said. “If they want to hire from abroad, it’s going to cost them — a lot.”
For years, the H-1B visa program has been riddled with abuse. Companies claim they “can’t find talent” in the U.S., then turn around and hire foreign workers at a fraction of the cost, often paying them 30 to 40 percent less than comparable American employees. Worse, investigations have uncovered fake job listings, failure to notify USCIS when foreign workers are terminated, and systematic wage suppression that harms not just U.S. workers but the economy as a whole.
A recent White House report noted that unemployment among computer professionals has risen from 1.9% in 2019 to over 3% in 2025, even as tech giants continue mass layoffs of American workers — followed by mass hires of foreign replacements. The report called this trend “a direct threat to our national and economic security.”
The new policy states that the Secretary of Homeland Security will block visa petitions not accompanied by the $100,000 payment for 12 months following the order’s effective date — part of a sweeping effort to restore fairness to the U.S. labor market.
President Trump explained the reasoning clearly: “The unrestricted entry of certain foreign workers harms American workers by undercutting their wages and stealing their opportunities. That ends now.”
Analysts agree this is a game-changer. Forbes contributor Stuart Anderson admitted that the $100,000 fee is “prohibitive for employers” and would effectively halt the flood of H-1B hires, forcing companies to look domestically for skilled workers once again.
In short, Project Firewall is another example of Trump’s America First economic agenda in action — taking on corporate greed, ending globalist labor exploitation, and putting the paychecks of hardworking Americans ahead of Silicon Valley’s bottom line.
