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Finally, a federal department is doing what hardworking Americans have been asking for: protecting American jobs from companies that treat the H-1B program like a discount labor registry. The Department of Labor’s Project Firewall is a welcome, no-nonsense effort to make sure highly skilled positions go to qualified U.S. workers first, not to outsourcing firms looking to cut wages.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer deserves credit for putting muscle behind the promise, personally certifying investigations where there is reasonable cause to believe employers have abused the system. That level of accountability from the top is precisely what’s needed after years of bureaucratic handwringing while Americans were pushed aside.
This isn’t just talk: the administration’s enforcement campaign has already translated into dozens upon dozens of probes into suspect H-1B practices, signaling that Project Firewall is more than a press release. Reports now show well over a hundred investigations opened to look for employers gaming the system and displacing American workers.
Project Firewall comes with real teeth — employers found in violation can be forced to pay back wages, fined civilly, or even debarred from using the H-1B program for a period of time. That kind of sting is necessary to change corporate behavior and end the gaming of visa rules that depress pay and opportunities for Americans.
Meanwhile, Beltway elites and big tech firms are howling because enforcement and new penalties will remove their cheap fallback option and force them to compete for American talent fairly. The same outlets that cheered offshoring and visa loopholes now warn of disruption — the truth is they’d prefer profit over patriotism, and Project Firewall forces them to choose.
Conservatives should make no apology for putting American workers first; protecting wages and careers is not xenophobia, it’s patriotism. If Congress and the administration really mean “America First,” then supporting rigorous enforcement, transparency, and consequences for abusers is the way to prove it.
There will be legal challenges and media theatrics, but that’s to be expected when entrenched interests lose privileges they’ve treated as permanent. The real question is whether the American people will stand behind policies that restore fairness to the labor market and ensure our children inherit an economy where hard work leads to opportunity.
Now is the time for citizens, lawmakers, and honest employers to rally behind Project Firewall — demand accountability, celebrate enforcement, and refuse to let corporations hollow out American prosperity in pursuit of short-term gains. If we stay vigilant and proud of our workforce, we can reclaim skilled jobs for Americans and rebuild the middle class that made this country great.
