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Dhillon takes aim at H-1B hiring at funded institutions
She said that DOJ will scrutinize federally funded employers favoring visa workers over Americans.
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Anushka Pathak - Wed, 25, Feb 2026
- 11:58 EST
- 36
U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Kaur Dhillon. / Facebook
Assistant Attorney General (AAG) Harmeet Dhillon said the Justice Department will examine federally funded institutions that disproportionately hire H-1B visa holders over American workers.
She described the issue as “deeply problematic,” signaling potential scrutiny of hiring practices tied to federal funding.
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In a post on X, Dhillon stated, “It is deeply problematic that federal funding flows to institutions that disproportionately hire H-1B visa workers over American workers!"
It is deeply problematic that federal funding flows to institutions that disproportionately hire H-1B visa workers over American workers. @TheJusticeDept will continue to root out this problem and protect the employment @CivilRights of Americans! pic.twitter.com/cAzBdoR71C
— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) February 25, 2026
“The idea that we're allowing our federal funding to go to institutions that disproportionately hire H-1B visa and other legal immigrant visa categories when there are Americans who could fill those jobs is also problematic,” she added in a video statement accompanying the post.
Referencing her immigrant roots, the Republican said, “I'm an immigrant, and I'm grateful that my family was able to come to this country,” noting that her father worked as a doctor in a rural community for most of his career.
She went on to acknowledge that foreign professionals can address workforce gaps, particularly in medicine, stating that “American medical schools aren't pumping out enough doctors to serve all of our institutions.”
At the same time, she argued that systemic issues should be addressed domestically. “We should be solving that problem so that the foreign medical graduate, the foreign engineer, the foreign CEO is an exception and not a fairly significant swath of the populace,” Dhillon said, adding that the demand dynamic must shift at a societal level.
She emphasized that the Justice Department can take enforcement action where federal law is violated. “We can do certain things at the DOJ. We can inflict pain on institutions that are blatantly violating federal law,” she said, while noting that “there are so many more pieces to this puzzle that need to be solved outside the DOJ.”
Dhillon did not name specific institutions but signaled that the department will continue reviewing hiring practices tied to H-1B and other legal immigrant visa programs at entities receiving federal funds.
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