Former US congressional representative and prominent MAGA figure Marjorie Taylor Greene has once again escalated her criticism of the H-1B visa programme, launching fresh allegations that she claims point to large-scale fraud and systemic abuse. In a recent post on social media, Greene asserted that an Indian-origin immigration lawyer based in Dallas, Texas, had been responsible for securing approvals for an extraordinarily large number of H-1B visas in a very short span of time, a claim that has drawn attention for both its scale and its inflammatory tone.
In her post, Greene alleged that Chand Paravathaneni, an immigration lawyer practising in North Texas, had effectively “approved” hundreds of thousands of H-1B visas in a single year, and more than a million approvals over a two-year period beginning in 2024. She suggested that this pointed to an organised scam within the visa system, despite the fact that individual lawyers do not have the authority to approve visas, which are adjudicated by federal immigration officials.
Alongside these claims, Greene alleged that several towns and suburbs in Texas, including Irving, Plano, Las Colinas, Frisco, McKinney and Prosper, had been “overrun and overtaken” by immigrants, specifically targeting Muslims and people of Indian origin in her remarks. She framed this demographic change as evidence of the alleged misuse of the H-1B programme and linked it to broader claims about cultural and economic displacement.
The allegations were amplified through a video Greene shared, in which a presenter claimed that North Texas had become a hotspot for H-1B fraud. The video referred to a map purportedly showing unusually high concentrations of H-1B approvals in the region and accused certain immigration professionals of facilitating mass visa approvals. It further alleged that many supposed technology companies sponsoring H-1B workers were registered at ordinary residential homes, including single-family houses, and claimed that dozens of foreign workers were being listed as employees at such addresses.
The video also made broader assertions about the presence of religious institutions and immigrant communities in North Texas, pointing to the number of mosques in the area and questioning whether public funds were being misused to support what it described as fake or shell companies. Greene echoed these assertions in her own comments, using them to argue that the H-1B programme is fundamentally broken and must be dismantled.
Using these allegations as justification, Greene urged fellow Republicans to support legislation aimed at scrapping the H-1B system altogether. She specifically called for backing a bill she introduced, HR 6937, which seeks to terminate the programme. Greene has repeatedly argued that the H-1B system allows large corporations, particularly in the technology and healthcare sectors, to sideline American workers in favour of cheaper foreign labour.
Greene has long positioned herself as one of the most outspoken opponents of the H-1B programme within conservative politics. In earlier statements, she has accused major technology companies, hospitals and other industries of exploiting the visa system to suppress wages and displace American employees. She has framed her opposition as part of a broader “America First” agenda, insisting that the domestic workforce is more than capable of meeting the country’s labour needs without reliance on foreign professionals.
However, publicly available data does not support the numerical claims made in Greene’s post. Official figures from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services show that the total number of H-1B petitions approved nationwide in a given year is far lower than the figures she cited. For the 2024 fiscal year, fewer than 400,000 H-1B petitions were approved in total, including both new and continuing employment. Even accounting for subsequent years, the idea that a single lawyer could be responsible for approvals exceeding one million visas is not consistent with how the system operates or with official statistics.
Experts note that H-1B visas are adjudicated by federal immigration officers, not private lawyers, and that legal representatives merely assist applicants and employers with paperwork and compliance. While cases of fraud do occur and are investigated by authorities, sweeping claims of this magnitude have not been substantiated by evidence.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, who represented Georgia’s 14th congressional district, has been a polarising figure in American politics. Once a close ally of US President Donald Trump, she built her national profile through hardline positions on immigration, culture and government spending. In recent years, she has also faced internal party conflicts, including her removal from conservative caucuses and a public falling-out with Trump over unrelated political disputes.
Her renewed attack on the H-1B programme reflects both her longstanding opposition to immigration pathways for skilled foreign workers and the broader ideological battles within the Republican Party ahead of future elections. Critics argue that her rhetoric risks fuelling misinformation and racial hostility, while supporters see her stance as a defence of domestic jobs and national sovereignty.
