'Never-ending flow of cheap labour': JD Vance defends tech green card ban
US VP JD Vance slams tech giants for using cheap labour as he defends the suspension of major firms from the green card program.
United States Vice President JD Vance has doubled down on the administration's decision to exclude major technology corporations from the green card program, accusing them of exploiting a system to secure a constant supply of low-cost workers.
In a sharp exchange with Congresswoman Pramila Jaypal, Vance defended the government's aggressive stance against what he perceives as a practice that undermines the American workforce. The Vice President's comments come amid a sweeping move by the US government to suspend several global IT giants and domestic tech leaders from the Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) program.
The 'Indentured Servant' Allegation
During a recent news conference addressing visa fraud, Vance used stinging language to describe the current state of H-1B visa employment. He claimed that many workers brought in under these visas are effectively being treated as "indentured servants."
Vance highlighted a significant wage gap, alleging that H-1B holders earn substantially less than their American counterparts in identical roles. "If you are working as an H-1B visa in the United States of America, you’re earning $20,000 less than an American citizen hired in the same position," Vance stated. He further noted that those brought in by foreign outsourcing firms often earn as much as $48,000 less than American citizens.
The Vice President accused corporations of playing a calculated game: "You bring in indentured servants from outside the country, you lay off American workers and, if you’re a corporation, you make a ton of money by under cutting the wages of American workers."
A Massive Crackdown on IT Giants
The political rhetoric follows a major announcement by US Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling. The Labour Department has suspended several of the world's largest IT outsourcing firms from the PERM program, citing multiple active federal investigations. The companies caught in the dragnet include:
- Cognizant
- Infosys
- Tata
- Wipro
- HCL
- Capgemini
Notably, the suspension is not limited to outsourcing firms; major US-based tech titans such as Microsoft and Adobe have also been barred from the program. Secretary Sonderling revealed the sheer scale of the impact, noting that since 2009, these named companies have requested nearly 3 million foreign workers, resulting in over 230,000 H-1B approvals and more than 100,000 permanent labour certifications.
Democratic Pushback and Innovation Concerns
The administration's move has met fierce resistance from Democratic lawmakers. Congresswoman Pramila Jaypal, a member of the Immigration Subcommittee and a former H-1B visa holder, criticized the policy as a "heavy-handed attack" on legal immigration.
Jaypal, who represents thousands of Microsoft workers, argued that the administration is dismantling the very pathways that allow talent to contribute to the US economy. She contended that the PERM program is designed to ensure immigration provides a net benefit without harming American jobs, rather than being a tool for exploitation.
"You don’t fix a broken immigration system by taking a hammer to legal immigration," Jaypal posted on X, warning that targeting companies like Microsoft and the PERM program could ultimately weaken America's global ability to innovate.