Scrap OPT, STEM-OPT: Congressman Pushes DHS

At a time when there is growing opposition to the H-1B visa program targeting Indians in the U.S., Congressman Riley M. Moore has written to Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, urging an end to OPT, STEM-OPT, and other F-1 student-related work programs.

This move is seen as largely impacting Indian students, along with Chinese students, if it becomes serious.

Below is his request to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary.

Dear Secretary Mullin:

Congratulations on your recent swearing-in as Secretary of Homeland Security. You assume this role at a consequential moment, with direct responsibility for safeguarding the American people, our homeland, and our values. I look forward to working with you to advance policies that uphold the rule of law, strengthen our nation’s security, and ensure the Department continues to deliver results for the American people.

I would like to highlight serious concerns regarding the Optional Practical Training Program (OPT), Stem-OPT, the Curricular Practical Training (CPT), and other related work authorization programs for foreign students utilizing the F-1 student visa program and the immense harm these programs are inflicting upon American workers. At a time when new graduates are entering one of the most challenging job markets in recent history, it is troubling that corporations and universities continue to exploit non-immigrant worker programs that replace American workers with foreign labor. Equally troubling is that the OPT program and similar worker programs exist only through regulation, not a statutory framework enacted by Congress.

For years, Big Tech lobbyists have quietly worked with previous administrations to turn “practical training” programs into backdoor pipelines for cheap foreign labor. They even urged the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to rewrite OPT regulations in secret to avoid H-1B caps Congress deliberately imposed. This regulatory sleight-of-hand not only mocks Congress’s clear intent for the student visa program but also hands powerful corporations exactly what they want: a limitless supply of underpaid, tax-advantaged workers to displace America’s own talent.