Democrat senator Ruben Gallego (Arizona) has expressed concern over the H-1B visa program and asked the Donald Trump administration how it would ensure Americans are not losing out on jobs. Gallego said companies are laying off Americans while hiring foreign workers on temporary H-1B visas. “Such trends are concerning given the high unemployment rate for American tech workers, particularly recent graduates. At major public technology companies, employees between the ages of 21 and 25 made up 15 percent of the workforce in January 2023. By July 2025, that number had dropped to 6.7 percent. These statistics suggest that there are young American workers eager to be trained for and to fill these roles,” the senator wrote. “Gen Z workers are struggling elsewhere in our economy too,” he added. Citing the data from a Bank of America Institute report, Gallego claimed that over 13 per cent of of unemployed Americans in July were new entrants into the workforce or jobseekers with no prior work experience. This is the highest since 1988, according to the Richmond Federal Reserve, the letter added. “This trend is particularly concerning because the American dream has become unachievable for most young people. For example, the average student borrows over $30,000 to pursue a bachelor’s degree. But even this is no longer enough; since the start of 2020, the median home price has risen 55.7 percent, while average wages have only increased 26.6 percent. Moreover, a new report shows that childcare for one infant now costs more than rent in 17 states and more than in-state college tuition in 38 states,” he wrote.Acknowledging the administration’s Project Firewall, the senator asked whether the Department of Labor will pay special attention to companies that have laid off American workers while filing petitions for H-1B workers. “How will you ensure companies make good faith efforts to fulfill all H-1B requirements, including those requiring prioritization of U.S. workers over H-1B employees?” the senator wrote.
