Business lobbies in Washington are alarmed because President Donald Trump’s deputies are narrowing the huge pipeline of migrant workers who arrive via student visas and U.S. colleges.
\n\n“This is going to be devastating for retaining top STEM talent in critical fields,” advocate Sam Peak claimed on August 21 as he tried to defend President George W. Bush’s “Optional Practical Training” (OPT) program for foreign graduates. “Eliminating OPT means getting rid of a critical bridge that helps the U.S. retain top global talent,” he said.
\n\n“The Trump admin is considering a $100k fee … which would essentially end the program,” claimed Jeremy Neufeld, the director of Immigration Policy at the Institute for Progress.
\n\nThe OPT program was created by President George W. Bush’s deputies and has been ignored by Congress since then. During that time, the program has put millions of foreign graduates from U.S. colleges — mostly Indians — into career-starting U.S. jobs needed by U.S. graduates. The huge inflow also helps foreign managers at U.S. companies create ethnic hiring networks that exclude Americans, regardless of anti-discrimination laws.
\n\nAlmost 500,000 Americans earned bachelor’s degrees in science, computers, technology, engineering, or math in 2024.
\n\nBut in 2024, 640,000 foreign graduates held…
Original source: https://www.breitbart.com/economy/
