Walmart recently announced it would be laying off over 1,500 employees as part of a corporate restructuring effort aimed at streamlining operations and improving decision-making efficiency. This affects multiple departments, including the US e-commerce segment and Walmart Connect (its advertising division), alongside the global tech division.
What MAGA Supporters Are Claiming
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Many MAGA-aligned voices have claimed that these layoffs are due to Walmart replacing American workers with foreign workers on H-1B visas.
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They often cite the fact that one affected department is Walmart’s global tech division, which does employ many skilled workers under the H-1B visa program.
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Social media posts have targeted Walmart’s Global CTO, Suresh Kumar, who is of Indian origin, blaming him for the layoffs and alleging he is involved in “replacing Americans” with foreign workers.
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Some also claim Walmart received thousands of H-1B visa approvals recently and is “importing” talent at the expense of US jobs.
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These accusations are frequently linked to broader political narratives that blame immigration and non-immigrant visa programs for American job losses.
The Facts
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Layoffs are happening across multiple divisions, including areas not typically linked to H-1B visa hiring, like Walmart Connect and the US e-commerce team.
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The H-1B visa program primarily applies to skilled technical and specialized workers, not general retail or advertising roles.
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Walmart’s internal memo, seen by Bloomberg, states the layoffs are about cost-cutting, efficiency, and adapting to economic challenges — not visa programs.
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Walmart is the largest private employer in the US, with about 1.6 million employees, so layoffs of 1,500 represent less than 0.1% of its workforce.
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Indians make up a majority of H-1B visa holders (about 72-77%), which is often the basis for linking Indian-origin executives unfairly to visa-related controversies.
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Walmart’s recent H-1B visa approvals and job openings mostly reflect normal corporate hiring trends for tech talent, not mass replacement of US workers.
Why This Matters
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Claims that H-1B visas “steal American jobs” are common politically motivated narratives but don’t reflect the nuanced reality.
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The layoffs are part of Walmart’s response to economic volatility, cost pressures, and strategic shifts, not a targeted replacement scheme.
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Targeting individuals like Suresh Kumar based on origin or association with H-1B visas fuels xenophobia and misinformation.
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Walmart’s restructuring also follows changes like closing an office in North Carolina and shifting roles — moves aimed at reducing expenses and improving efficiency, unrelated to immigration.
In Summary
Walmart’s layoffs are a business decision driven by economic factors, not by an agenda to replace American employees with foreign H-1B visa holders. While Walmart employs many H-1B workers, the visa program is separate from the reasons behind these job cuts. Claims linking layoffs directly to visa hiring lack evidence and are mostly politically charged narratives amplified on social media.
