AUSTIN, Texas — Governor Greg Abbott said Monday that his administration is reviewing whether Texas taxpayer funds are being used to employ workers on H-1B visas at public K-12 schools and universities across the state.
Internal emails obtained by Quorum Report show the governor’s office asked leaders of the Texas A&M University System on Friday to provide data on employees working under H-1B visas, including their job roles and countries of origin, by the close of business Monday.
Abbott said during an interview with conservative radio host Mark Davis that the state has sent similar inquiries to public school districts and universities and plans to announce an “action plan” later this week based on the findings.
Abbott said he sees no justification for employing H-1B visa holders in Texas public schools unless the positions require specialized skills. He also suggested that some visa holders may have entered the country before or during the Biden administration and overstayed their visas.
The request followed reporting by conservative news outlet The Dallas Express, which reported Thursday that it sought public records related to Texas A&M University’s use of H-1B visas and filed a complaint with the Texas attorney general before receiving the information.
H-1B visas allow employers to hire foreign workers for specialized occupations that typically require at least a bachelor’s degree. Public universities and academic medical centers frequently use the visas to hire professors, researchers, physicians, and other specialized staff. Federal immigration data show that major education-sector employers of H-1B visa holders in Texas include Dallas Independent School District, UT Southwestern Medical Center, and UT MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The Texas Tribune contacted the governor’s office, the Texas A&M University System, and multiple University of Texas System institutions to ask whether they received requests for visa information. The offices did not immediately respond. Several campuses, including Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin, were closed Monday due to winter weather.
