Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador has joined a coalition of attorneys general from 13 states in formally urging the U.S. Department of Labor to strengthen wage requirements for H-1B visa workers, arguing that major corporations have systematically exploited the program to displace American employees with lower-cost foreign labor.

Coalition Targets Wage Loophole

The coalition submitted formal comments supporting a proposed Labor Department rulemaking that would raise the minimum wages companies must pay H-1B visa holders. Labrador and the other attorneys general contend that the existing wage methodology was established through informal agency guidance rather than the notice-and-comment process required under the Administrative Procedure Act — a procedural gap they argue renders the current standard legally vulnerable.

The H-1B program was designed to allow companies to hire foreign nationals in specialty occupations when qualified American workers are not available. The coalition’s comments argue the program has drifted far from that original purpose.

“The H-1B visa program was originally intended to bring in foreign workers only when Americans aren’t available,” Labrador said. “Instead, corporations have exploited it to replace American workers with cheaper foreign labor.”

Corporate Layoffs Cited as Evidence

The filing highlights the conduct of several major technology and media companies — including Amazon, Apple, Google, Disney, and Meta — that carried out large-scale layoffs while simultaneously submitting thousands of new H-1B petitions. The coalition points to this pattern as evidence that the program is being used as a cost-reduction tool rather than a genuine workforce supplement.

The most pointed example in the comments involves Southern California Edison, which terminated hundreds of American information technology workers and replaced them with H-1B employees hired at wages roughly 40 percent lower. The displaced American workers were reportedly required to train their own foreign replacements before leaving.

The coalition also notes that in recent years, approximately one in eight H-1B visas has been issued to Chinese nationals, raising what the attorneys general describe as additional concerns about the program’s national security implications.

Legal and Policy Arguments

Beyond the workforce displacement argument, the coalition’s formal comments challenge the lawfulness of how current wage floors were set. Because the methodology was never subject to public notice-and-comment rulemaking, the attorneys general argue it likely cannot withstand scrutiny under the Administrative Procedure Act. The proposed rulemaking, if finalized, would correct that procedural deficiency and establish higher wage requirements through a legally durable process.

Labrador has been active on H-1B wage policy, and the formal comment submission reflects a coordinated multistate effort to influence the rulemaking record before the Labor Department acts. Idaho’s AG has separately pressed the Labor Department to raise H-1B wage floors as part of his broader focus on federal immigration and labor policy.

What Comes Next

The Labor Department will review the submitted comments as part of the formal rulemaking process before issuing a final rule. No timeline for a final decision has been announced. The multistate coalition’s comments represent a significant portion of the state-level feedback the agency will weigh as it considers the wage standard changes.

Labrador, who serves as Idaho’s 33rd Attorney General, has used multistate coalitions on several federal policy matters during his tenure, making Tuesday’s filing consistent with his broader approach to influencing federal regulatory decisions.