President Trump has the power to end one of the most nefarious immigration programs on his own. The opportunity is his to accept or decline.
Sen. Jim Banks — whose American Tech Workforce Act would abolish the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program — is asking the Trump Administration to stop the shadow guestworker program now. In a letter first reported by Breitbart News, Sen. Banks asked Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem to put an end to a program that gives a discount to employers who go out of their way to hire foreign students and IGNORE AMERICAN WORKERS. Senator Chuck Grassley made a similar plea in September.
OPT is an “America Last” immigration policy if there ever was one.
“This program was created by bureaucrats to evade immigration limits set by law, and it offers employers a tax break to replace American workers with foreign labor,” Banks writes. “The OPT system incentivizes employers to pass over American graduates and hire foreign guest workers, especially in STEM fields — and that’s exactly what has happened.”
Most of the Great Immigration Solutions we need require an act of Congress. But the OPT program was never voted on by the legislative branch. The Executive Branch should never have created the OPT monster to begin with. But what the Executive Branch creates, the Executive Branch can exterminate.
The first Trump Administration considered suspending OPT during the pandemic in 2020, but ultimately kept the program running. This is a shot at redemption. As companies continue to announce layoffs while applying for H-1B workers, ending OPT would potentially open up new opportunities for hundreds of thousands of Americans.
President Trump himself has not addressed OPT directly. Historically, he has sent mixed signals on his desire to limit immigration and protect American workers. This week, he defended the H-1B program and foreign student visas. His proclamation on H-1B, however, was the first from a sitting president to shine a light on many of the problems with the H-1B visa, and his administration has taken initial steps to tighten the program.
Stephen Miller has been outspoken on putting American workers first, and has helped usher through changes to the H-1B and student visa programs. But, the first Trump administration failed to get it done.
Secretary Noem has not been outspoken on OPT. This week, she indicated that her department was focused on improved vetting and highlighted the administration’s high naturalization rates. While she oversees and has helped usher in changes to the H-1B visa program, she can help end the OPT program tomorrow.
USCIS Director Joe Edlow has been critical of OPT and indicated a desire to end the program at his confirmation hearing. Edlow called OPT a “misapplication of the law.”
That’s what the OPT does. Whether it continues to rob Americans of wealth and experience is up to President Trump and his team.
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