Texas Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed Monday that his office is gathering information on the use of H-1B visas in the state, with a particular focus on public schools and higher education institutions. He also addressed recent immigration enforcement actions, including a fatal shooting involving a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota, while emphasizing Texas’ approach to cooperation with law enforcement.
Abbott’s comments followed the publication of internal communications by Quorum Report over the weekend. Those communications indicated that the governor’s office had requested information from leaders within the Texas A&M University System regarding employees working under H-1B visas. According to the report, system officials were instructed to compile a list of H-1B visa holders and report back by Monday.
During a Monday morning appearance on The Mark Davis Show, Abbott confirmed that his administration is reviewing “the extent to which Texas taxpayer dollars are being used to pay for any of these people” — referring to H-1B visa holders — “whether it be candidly in our public schools in the state of Texas, in our universities and colleges in the state of Texas,” as well as other “angles.”
The H-1B visa program is a federal initiative that allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in specialized occupations and can serve as a pathway to legal residency. In recent months, the program has drawn increased scrutiny from critics who argue it has been misused by some employers to fill lower-wage or non-specialized roles, potentially displacing American workers.
Abbott said his administration is actively collecting data from state agencies. “We have inquiries out right now to all of those agencies gathering the information that we need, and are hoping to be able to make an announcement later on this week about an action plan that Texas is beginning to take in addition to that,” he said.
He also noted coordination with the federal government, stating, “Obviously, we are in communication with the Trump administration,” and adding that the issue has been a recent focus of President Donald Trump. Because the H-1B program is federally administered, Abbott said his team is reviewing what authority the state has and what actions it can take within that framework.
“We want to make sure that our communities are safe,” Abbott said, adding that Texas wants to ensure it is not “having people come in and take jobs the Texans can easily fill.” He questioned the necessity of H-1B visa holders in public education, asking, “For example, what job is it in our public schools in the State of Texas that these H-1B visas personnel are fulfilling that we can't fulfill here at our own public schools?” He added, “I don't see any reason why we need any H-1B visa employees in our public schools in the State of Texas, but we're going to find out if there's some unique skill set or whatever the case may be.”
Abbott further suggested that some individuals admitted under the H-1B program during the Biden administration may have overstayed their visas or were not properly vetted, citing differences in immigration policies under President Joe Biden.
In the same radio appearance, Abbott was asked about other recent immigration-related developments, including the second fatal shooting of a civilian by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis. Abbott contrasted the situation with Texas, stating that “Texas actually ranks number one for ICE removals, and yet, we don't have fighting and protests like that,” which he attributed to state leadership.
Earlier Monday, President Trump announced that Border Czar Tom Homan would be sent to Minnesota and would report directly to him. Trump also confirmed that he spoke with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, describing the conversation as “a very good call” and saying the two “seemed to be on a similar wavelength.”
Abbott criticized leadership in Minnesota, saying, “Whether it be the governor or local mayors or other local leaders, no one's trying to incite violence here in the state of Texas … this is truly the problem in Minnesota: it’s more about the lack of leadership and the lack of calming and order by the governor, by the mayor…” He added, “I think they want it that way.”
Abbott said the White House needs to “recalibrate on what needs to be done” regarding immigration enforcement and argued that respect for law enforcement must be “re-instilled.” While acknowledging the difficulty of that task, he said the administration is “working on a game plan.”
He suggested that federal authorities may need to adjust their approach to enforcement, saying they might “work from a different direction” to fulfill their original goal “to remove people from the country who are here illegally … especially those who pose the most danger.”
“Maybe work from a different direction, to ensure that they get back to what they wanted to do to begin with,” Abbott said, “and go about their job in a more structured way, to make sure that they are going to be able to remove these people without causing all the kinds of problems and fighting in communities that they’re experiencing right now.”
