DeSantis and Bannon Renew Push to Scrap H-1B Visas, Limit Chinese Students

Conservative figures intensified attacks on the H-1B visa system during remarks marking the fourth anniversary of the Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul that killed 13 U.S. service members. Former White House strategist Steve Bannon said the work-visa program “steals” jobs from Americans and urged Congress to end it rather than pursue incremental reforms. He linked his call to what he described as corporate efforts to suppress U.S. wages and to the sacrifice of the troops who died in 2021. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis echoed the criticism, arguing that companies lay off U.S. workers while hiring H-1B holders and warning that artificial-intelligence advances make protecting domestic jobs more urgent. DeSantis also opposed former President Donald Trump’s proposal to admit 600,000 Chinese students, saying college places should go to Americans unless foreign enrollment clearly benefits the country. An unnamed U.S. Commerce Secretary quoted by conservative outlets added that the current H-1B system is “a scam” that primarily serves one foreign country and a cottage industry of recruiters. The latest remarks underscore growing pressure within the Republican Party to curtail skilled-worker visas and tighten student-visa rules ahead of next year’s congressional session.