U.S. Representative Beth Van Duyne and three other North Texas members of Congress urged top Trump Administration officials on May 5 to launch a coordinated, interagency investigation into alleged H-1B visa fraud activities in the region.
The letter, addressed to Vice President Vance, Secretary Rubio, Acting Secretary Sonderling, and Secretary Mullin, calls for immediate action due to concerns about the impact of fraudulent visa practices on local labor markets and trust in immigration processes. The lawmakers wrote: “The concentration of these activities in North Texas—a major economic hub for our nation—raises additional concerns about localized exploitation of the system. When bad actors are able to manipulate visa pathways at scale, it distorts local labor markets, suppresses wages, and erodes trust in lawful immigration processes.”
Van Duyne said she is grateful for her colleagues’ support: “I’m thankful for my fellow North Texas Members in joining me to urge the Administration to take immediate action to investigate and prosecute these egregious violations of our immigration laws. Much like we saw with the Nick Shirley investigative journalism which exposed Somali welfare fraud in Minnesota and rampant hospice fraud in Los Angeles, California, North Texas independent journalists have repeatedly uncovered flagrant abuse of the H-1B visa program concentrated in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and specifically in Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant Counties,” said Rep. Van Duyne. “H-1B visa abuse is an affront to our country, it harms American workers, depresses wages, leaves graduating university students without job prospects in their area of study, and it must be stamped out for economic and national security reasons.”
Governor Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton previously began investigations this year targeting individuals exploiting the H-1B program by replacing qualified Texas workers with lower wage employees or establishing sham businesses at residential addresses or unfinished buildings.
The congressional letter requests several actions from federal departments: a coordinated investigation involving employers and third-party agents; review of current adjudication processes; stronger enforcement through increased audits; improved data sharing among Homeland Security, Labor, and State Departments; as well as recommendations for legislative changes if needed.
Beth Van Duyne has served as U.S. Representative for Texas’s 24th District since 2021 after succeeding Kenny Marchant according to Ballotpedia.
