February 1, 2026
NEWS DIGEST
by Brandon Waltens
Good morning,
Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered an immediate freeze on new H-1B visa petitions by Texas state agencies and public institutions of higher education, citing concerns that the federal program has been abused to displace American workers.
“The economy of Texas should work for the benefit of Texas workers and Texas employers,” Abbott wrote in a directive sent Monday to agency heads, adding that state government must “lead by example” and ensure that jobs funded by taxpayers are filled by Texans first.
Under the order, no state agency controlled by a gubernatorial appointee or public institution of higher education may initiate or file a new H-1B visa petition without written approval from the Texas Workforce Commission. The freeze will remain in effect through the end of the next regular session of the legislature on May 31, 2027.
An H-1B visa is a temporary U.S. work visa that allows American employers to hire foreign workers in certain “specialty” occupations that typically require at least a bachelor’s degree—common fields include technology, engineering, science, and math.
Supporters of the controversial program say it is necessary to fill skill gaps that cannot be met by the domestic labor pool, though it has drawn scrutiny for replacing American workers and contributing to mass migration.
Abbott pointed to what he described as systemic abuse of the federal H-1B visa program, which he said was “created to supplement the United States’ workforce—not to replace it.”
“Evidence suggests that bad actors have exploited this program by failing to make good-faith efforts to recruit qualified U.S. workers before seeking to use foreign labor,” Abbott wrote. “In the most egregious schemes, employers have even fired American workers and replaced them with H-1B employees, often at lower wages.”
Rather than attracting “the best and brightest individuals from around the world” to fill truly specialized roles, Abbott argued that the program “has too often been used to fill jobs that otherwise could—and should—have been filled by Texans.”
In the 2025 fiscal year, Texas had 7,212 new H-1B visa recipients, making it the second-largest state in the nation for new H-1B approvals behind California, which led with more than 13,000.
Abbott’s directive echoes concerns raised by President Donald J. Trump in a proclamation issued last September that accused employers of “systemic abuse” of the H-1B visa program to replace American workers with lower-paid foreign labor.
Trump wrote that the program had been “deliberately exploited to replace, rather than supplement, American workers,” particularly in science, technology, engineering, and math fields.
In his proclamation, Trump cited data showing the number of foreign STEM workers more than doubled between 2000 and 2019, while overall STEM employment grew far more slowly. He also pointed to the information technology sector, where the share of H-1B workers grew from 32 percent in 2003 to more than 65 percent in recent years, with some companies laying off thousands of American workers while simultaneously securing approvals for large numbers of H-1B visas.
Trump warned that these practices suppress wages, harm entry-level American workers, and pose both economic and national security risks.
In addition to freezing new H-1B petitions, Abbott ordered all affected agencies and universities to submit a report to the Texas Workforce Commission by March 27, 2026. The report must identify how many H-1B petitions were filed or renewed in 2025, how many H-1B workers are currently sponsored, their countries of origin, job classifications, visa expiration dates, and documentation showing that qualified Texas residents were given a reasonable opportunity to apply before a visa petition was filed.
Featured
Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced a wide-sweeping investigation into alleged abuse of the federal H-1B visa program by Texas businesses, issuing civil investigative demands to three North Texas companies suspected of operating sham enterprises to fraudulently sponsor foreign workers.
Paxton said his office has issued the demands—known as Civil Investigative Demands, or CIDs—seeking documents identifying company employees, records detailing the products or services provided, financial statements, and communications related to business operations
Real Texans
In this week’s edition of Real Texans, Michael sits down with Dallas' mayor, Eric Johnson, to discuss the need for more citizens to be active in local government. They also talk about the ascendancy of Dallas as a financial hub and Johnson’s switch to the GOP.
New interviews with REAL TEXANS every Sunday!
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