The Trump administration has opened a sweeping probe into alleged H-1B and PERM visa fraud, and investigators have already begun issuing dozens of subpoenas. Anthony D'Esposito announced the investigation on Mornings with Maria, calling it part of a broader push against immigration-related fraud.
D'Esposito said the inquiry is not a narrow paperwork review. He said investigators are also examining possible human trafficking tied to foreign labor, describing the alleged schemes as connected to cartels and transnational gangs. He said the fraud is not limited to factory jobs or physical labor, but reaches into medical facilities and doctors' offices.
The announcement matters because the H-1B visa is a main route for companies in the U.S. to hire highly skilled foreign workers in specialty occupations for an initial three-year period that can be extended to six years. The tech industry accounts for roughly 60% to 70% of new H-1B applications in recent years, and other major users include consulting and professional services, engineering and manufacturing, healthcare and medical research, and higher education.
That reach is part of what gives the probe its weight. California, New York and Illinois are among the top five states for applicants, which means the scrutiny is likely to touch employers and workers well beyond one sector. D'Esposito framed the effort as a fraud fight, saying it is aimed at people who are gaming the system and at workers he said are not seeing their jobs taken away by foreigners or people abusing the process.
The administration is pairing the probe with a broader anti-fraud campaign, and Vice President JD Vance had a nationwide fraud initiative event scheduled in Milwaukee later that day. The timing suggests the White House wants the investigation read as part of a larger enforcement drive, not a one-off announcement.
There is still a basic gap in what has been made public: investigators have not identified which employers or filings are under subpoena, only that the list already runs to dozens. That leaves the next step with the government, which now has the tools to turn a broad crackdown into specific cases.
