Immigration Fraud in Texas?

The Texas Attorney General has issued Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) to 30 businesses to determine whether they operated “ghost offices” to facilitate the employment of H-1B visa holders instead of American workers. The CIDs require that the employers “identify all of their employees and provide records for specific products and services, financial statements and other communications.”

Simultaneously, the governor of Texas has ordered all state public colleges and universities to “freeze all new H-1B applications” through May of 2027, and to submit a listing of the number of new 2025 H-1B petitions/renewals they have submitted this year.

A similar program is now in place in Florida. Finally, DHS has proposed a new four-tier wage scale for allocating H-1B visas, with more available at higher wage levels.

Note: The 2027 fiscal year cap on H-1B visas has already been reached.