Texas Governor Greg Abbott has initiated a formal enquiry into how public schools, universities and allied state-funded institutions are using the federal H-1B visa programme, raising questions about whether taxpayer money is being spent to employ foreign workers in positions that could otherwise be filled by residents of Texas. The move has triggered a wider debate about the balance between prioritising local employment and addressing long-standing shortages of skilled professionals in the education and healthcare sectors.
The issue was brought into the public spotlight on January 26, when Abbott discussed the matter during a radio interview with conservative host Mark Davis. During the conversation, the governor said his administration had sent information requests to multiple public education bodies across the state, seeking details on employees working under H-1B visas. He indicated that once the data is compiled and reviewed, the state government would outline an “action plan” to address any concerns identified, according to reporting by the Texas Tribune and the Houston Chronicle.
Documents later obtained by Quorum Report, and cited by both publications, revealed that Abbott’s office had issued particularly detailed instructions to the Texas A&M University System. The system was asked to submit comprehensive records on all H-1B visa holders, including their job titles, roles and countries of origin, by the close of business on January 26. These communications suggested that the governor’s office was scrutinising whether such hires were essential within publicly funded education institutions.
Explaining his position, Abbott told Mark Davis that he saw little justification for employing H-1B visa holders in Texas public schools, while conceding that there might be exceptional cases involving individuals with rare or highly specialised skills. He also linked the issue to broader immigration enforcement concerns, suggesting that some visa holders admitted during or before the Biden administration may have overstayed their authorised periods, a point highlighted in reports by the Texas Tribune and the Dallas Morning News.
The enquiry was partly triggered by persistent efforts from the Dallas Express, which had sought public records detailing H-1B usage at Texas A&M University for several months. After encountering delays, the outlet filed a complaint with the Texas attorney general’s office to obtain the information. Its subsequent reporting claimed that Texas A&M had spent more than $3 million since 2020 on costs associated with hiring staff through the H-1B programme, including legal and processing fees.
At the same time, education leaders point out that Texas relies heavily on the H-1B visa system to cope with chronic shortages of qualified professionals. The programme allows US employers to sponsor foreign workers for specialised roles that typically require at least a bachelor’s degree. In Texas, this has translated into the recruitment of university professors, scientific researchers, medical doctors, and specialised teachers, particularly in districts and institutions struggling to attract sufficient local talent.
Data from US Citizenship and Immigration Services cited by the Texas Tribune shows that some of the largest education-sector employers of H-1B visa holders in the state include major school districts and academic medical centres. The Dallas Independent School District sponsors the highest number of such visas, followed closely by institutions like UT Southwestern Medical Center and MD Anderson Cancer Center. Large universities, including Texas A&M and the University of Texas at Austin, also employ significant numbers of H-1B workers.
According to figures referenced by the Houston Chronicle, Dallas ISD sponsors around 230 H-1B visa holders, while UT Southwestern employs about 228. Texas A&M’s flagship campus has roughly 214, MD Anderson about 171, and the University of Texas at Austin approximately 169. These numbers underscore how deeply embedded international talent has become in Texas’s education and healthcare infrastructure.
Higher education leaders and immigration advocates have cautioned that curbing access to global talent could weaken Texas’s academic output, research capacity and economic competitiveness. Miriam Feldblum, head of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, told the Texas Tribune that the ability to attract top international scholars and professionals has long been a pillar of US higher education. She also noted that recent federal changes, including sharply higher fees for new H-1B hires, already pose significant challenges for universities.
Abbott’s enquiry comes amid renewed national debate over the integrity of the H-1B programme during the Trump administration, fuelled by claims of misuse by certain employers. As the review proceeds, Texas’s public institutions may face increasing pressure to justify their reliance on foreign hires, even as they continue to depend on the programme to fill persistent gaps in classrooms, laboratories and hospitals across the state.
