Vance warns American firms against visa abuse

Washington: US Vice President JD Vance has warned American corporations against using visa programmes to replace domestic workers with cheaper foreign labour, declaring that the Trump administration would not tolerate practices that undermine employment opportunities for American citizens.

Speaking at a Republican campaign rally in Hendersonville, North Carolina, on Monday, Vance said the administration was determined to prevent companies from exploiting immigration programmes to reduce labour costs.

"One of the things I'm proudest of is that we will never allow major corporations to abuse the visa programs and replace hard-working Americans in North Carolina with what amounts to indentured servitude," Vance said.

His remarks come amid an intensifying debate over employment-based immigration, particularly the H-1B programme.

Vance did not specifically mention H-1B visas in his North Carolina remarks or announce any new restrictions on the programme.

However, his comments underscored the administration's broader position that employment-based immigration should not be used to displace American workers or suppress wages.

The Vice President placed the issue within the administration's larger immigration and economic agenda, arguing that government policies should prioritise American citizens.

"American jobs ought to go to American citizens, not to people who don't have a legal right to be here," he told the gathering.

His remarks drew a distinction between lawful employment and what the administration regards as the misuse of visa programmes by employers.

The H-1B programme allows US companies to employ foreign workers temporarily in specialised occupations requiring advanced knowledge and qualifications, including engineering, information technology, medicine and scientific research.

Unlike unauthorised employment, H-1B workers hold legal permission to work for sponsoring employers under specified conditions.

Vance's criticism focused on companies that he said were replacing American workers with foreign labour rather than on an announced change to the legal status of existing visa holders.

Addressing the wider immigration debate, the Vice President also claimed that the administration had achieved a sharp reduction in illegal border crossings and had reversed migration trends.

He said the administration had secured "net negative migration for the first time in 50 years", attributing the development to tougher immigration enforcement.

Vance also criticised previous trade and immigration policies, arguing that they had damaged manufacturing communities in North Carolina and other parts of the United States.

He linked immigration enforcement to the administration's broader economic message of protecting domestic employment, rebuilding industrial capacity and improving wages.

The comments came as Vance campaigned for Republican candidates ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

The rally featured several Republican candidates, including Senate candidate Michael Whatley, as the party sought to mobilise voters around immigration, employment and economic concerns.

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