Fox News host criticises H-1B system as ‘cheap labour pipeline’, claims 70% of visa holders are Indian

Fox News host slams H-1B 'cheap labour' scheme, says 70% of holders are Indian

Fox News host Will Cain has accused major corporations, especially tech giants, of exploiting the H-1B visa programme to hire cheaper foreign workers at the expense of American labour, igniting a fresh debate over the system. His remarks come as Trump’s Labor Department has launched nearly 200 investigations into alleged abuses of the visa programme.

He has described the programme as misleading, pointing to data he says contradicts claims of a domestic skills shortage.

“That’s a little hard to stomach when we hear we’re not talented or skilled enough, when you consider most are entry-or-junior level,” he said. Highlighting the dominance of applicants from Asia, he added, “70% of H-1B visa holders come from India, and another 10–15% from China, while 80% of H-1B approvals are for entry and junior-level jobs!”

🚨 BREAKING: Will Cain RIPS H-1B scam, says "70% of H-1B visa holders come from INDIA."

"Another 10-15% from China. 80% of H-1B approvals are for ENTRY and JUNIOR-level jobs!" "That's a little hard to stomach when we hear we're not talented or skilled enough, when you consider… pic.twitter.com/l0ErjAYIb5 — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 12, 2025

Cain said the system functions as a corporate cost-saving tool, allowing companies to bypass American workers because employers can “hire foreign workers... cheaper than American workers.”

Oculus and Anduril founder Palmer Luckey has made similar criticisms, calling the programme “a program to try and replace American workers with slave labour that can’t ever escape.”

Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has also announced plans to introduce legislation to phase out the programme, a move that could heavily impact Indian professionals, who constitute the majority of its recipients.

“Big Tech, AI giants, hospitals, and industries across the board have abused the H-1B system to cut out our own people,” she posted on X, adding, “Americans are the most talented people in the world, and I have full faith in the American people. I serve Americans only, and I will ALWAYS put Americans first.”

This debate has intensified following U.S. President Donald Trump’s defence of the H-1B programme during his interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham. Trump backed the visa system, long marketed as a pathway for highly skilled foreign workers to enter the US labour market, a stance that triggered immediate backlash from conservative commentators who say the programme depresses wages.

Ingraham directly challenged him, saying, “If you want to raise wages for American workers, you can’t flood the country with tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of foreign workers.”

Trump replied, “No, you don’t,” a response that energised critics of the programme. Prominent conservative figures, including podcaster Benny Johnson and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, have since renewed calls to eliminate H-1B visas entirely.

With investigations underway and political pressure mounting, the future of the H-1B programme has become a major flashpoint in the broader national debate over immigration, labour policy, and American economic competitiveness.