DeSantis says he won't tolerate H-1B visa 'abuse' in Florida universities

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that he won't tolerate H1-B visa "abuse" in the state's universities and ordered the Florida Board of Governors to "end this practice."

"Universities across the country are importing foreign workers on H-1B visas instead of hiring Americans who are qualified and available to do the job. We will not tolerate H-1B abuse in Florida institutions. That's why I have directed the Florida Board of Governors to end this practice," DeSantis wrote on X.

"Florida leads the nation in higher education, and thousands of highly qualified Americans graduate from our colleges and universities every year. If any universities are truly struggling to find U.S. citizens to fill their job openings, they ought to evaluate their academic programs to determine why they cannot produce graduates who can be hired for these positions," he added.

DeSantis' office released a statement saying that, "Florida is requiring institutions to put American graduates first and ensure taxpayer-funded schools serve the American workforce, not to be used to import cheap foreign labor."

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"H-1B visas are allegedly intended to hire individuals for a specialty occupation, but many universities and institutions have hired foreign workers for jobs that could easily be filled by qualified Americans. Universities are exempt from federal H-1B caps, enabling year-round hiring of foreign labor," it also said.

The Department of Labor says on its website that the H1-B visa program "applies to employers seeking to hire nonimmigrant aliens as workers in specialty occupations or as fashion models of distinguished merit and ability."

"A specialty occupation is one that requires the application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and the attainment of at least a bachelor's degree or its equivalent. The intent of the H-1B provisions is to help employers who cannot otherwise obtain needed business skills and abilities from the U.S. workforce by authorizing the temporary employment of qualified individuals who are not otherwise authorized to work in the United States," it added.

DeSantis said at a news conference Wednesday that Florida looked at its universities and found people there on H1-B visas, including an assistant swim coach from Spain, according to Fox13 Tampa Bay.

"Are you kidding me? We can't produce an assistant swim coach in this country?" DeSantis said.

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DeSantis' move comes after the Department of Justice asked people in late August to report illegal visa practices that could come at the expense of American workers.

Citizens are being urged to flag "discriminatory" advertisements for jobs, especially ones that state that the employer prefers people on a seasonal or H-1B visa.

"Are you an American citizen who has been harmed by inappropriate preferences for foreign workers, e.g. H1-B or other? Follow the link. It's also a place to report human trafficking of immigrant workers, and Title VII employment discrimination," Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon posted to X.

The Department of Justice is also allowing people to send in tips for possible human trafficking violations related to temporary visa programs.

Fox News Digital's Cameron Arcand contributed to this report.