'Direct hit to India’s IT talent': US immigration director slams Trump’s visa fee hike as discriminatory

The Trump administration’s latest executive order targeting H-1B visa holders has sparked widespread criticism, particularly from those in the tech and immigration sectors. The new policy imposes a $100,000 annual fee for employers sponsoring foreign workers. 

David J. Bier, Immigration Director at the Cato Institute, has sharply criticised the Trump administration’s latest executive order targeting H-1B visa holders, particularly Indian tech workers. In a series of posts on X, Bier detailed the contributions of Indian H-1B workers to the U.S. economy and condemned the systemic discrimination they face, accusing the government of demonising a group that has played a vital role in America's prosperity.

David Bier slams Trump’s H-1B visa attack: "Villainising the most productive population"

In a pointed critique of President Trump's executive order targeting H-1B visa holders, Bier called out the “discriminatory treatment” that Indian workers face within the U.S. immigration system. According to Bier, Indian H-1B workers have contributed “an unfathomable amount to America”, bringing in “hundreds of billions in taxes, tens of billions more in fees, [and] trillions in services”. Despite these invaluable contributions, Bier lamented, Indian workers are often met with “demonisation & discrimination.”

The systemic discrimination against Indian H-1B workers

Bier highlighted how U.S. immigration laws mandate “discriminatory treatment at every stage of the legal immigration process, particularly for Indians.” He pointed out that despite the fact that Indian workers often perform high-skill jobs in the U.S., they’ve been “barred from adjusting to permanent residence for decades based on nothing more than their birthplace.”

This systemic bias extends beyond visa restrictions. Bier emphasised the rigid rules imposed on Indian workers, which require their employers to “advertise THEIR jobs to others”, impose high fees, and make it “difficult to change job sites or duties.” He further added that Indian workers’ children, despite growing up in the U.S. and being American in every way, are forced to “leave when they reach adulthood” unless they win the “lottery” to remain, a policy Bier described as “unimaginable.”

Trump's executive order: A final blow to Indian H-1B workers

Bier’s strongest criticism was aimed at Trump’s executive order, which he described as an overt attempt to “villainize” a group of immigrants who have contributed immensely to the U.S. economy and culture. “They are making our lives better,” Bier stated, “but skilled workers do this on a scale that is beyond our capacity to fully appreciate.”

The executive order positions H-1B workers, especially those from India, as “job thieves, prosperity burglars, legal system cheats, security threats”—a characterisation Bier called “absurd” and rooted in “bad faith.” He argued that such nativist rhetoric was inconsistent with economic logic and would harm U.S. growth. “No person without the nativist brain virus thinks, ‘Hey look at that new medical school grad, he's making us poorer, better ban him from working,’” he remarked.

Nativism vs. reality: The true value of H-1B workers

Bier’s posts underscore a broader argument against the growing tide of nativist policies: that skilled immigrants, including H-1B workers, are integral to the U.S.'s technological, economic, and social success. Rather than undermining the country’s prosperity, Bier contends that these workers “create value for others with their work,” whether they are “fixing cars or fixing code.”

The executive order, in Bier’s view, represents a dangerous misstep that not only harms a productive segment of the workforce but also risks slowing the U.S.’s global leadership in innovation. “Every peaceful person who comes here, rich or poor, creates value for others with their work,” Bier concluded.