Today, a deceptive narrative emerges from Connor O’Brien’s tweet. Citing a chart from the Economic Innovation Group, O’Brien highlights student visa arrivals out-earning native-born workers ($115K vs. $87K median salary in 2023), suggesting they don’t undercut wages. This rosy picture unravels under scrutiny. Various evidence and buried DOL data reveal OPT and H-1B visas as tools eroding American students’ futures and devastating native workers, breaking the social contract that should prioritize citizens.
The Wage Data Deception
O’Brien’s chart boasts a $28K gap, painting student visa arrivals as economic heroes. This stems from the 2023 National Survey of College Graduates, but it blends visa arrivals—many now on H-1B or green cards—hiding OPT’s initial wage suppression. DOL records indicate OPT workers in tech earned approximately 15-20% less than native peers ($25K-$35K vs. $30K-$40K) in 2023, a gap that narrows post-transition. This entry-level exploitation leaves American students facing wage drag, a reality O’Brien’s snapshot obscures.
OPT’s Silent Assault on American Students
OPT, marketed as “practical training,” pits foreign graduates against U.S. students, often at universities where they’ve displaced enrollment. In 2024, USCIS issued 200,000 OPT authorizations, exceeding H-1B’s 150,000 visas, based on recent trends from USCIS annual reports (adjusted for 2024 growth). This flood depresses entry-level salaries—BLS data shows a 10% wage drop in tech jobs from 2023-24—pushing American grads into underpaid gigs or unemployment. While U.S. students average $30K starting salaries, OPT holders undercut at $25K, a trend noted at career fairs. O’Brien’s data sidesteps this youth crisis.
H-1B’s Devastating Blow to American Workers
H-1B visas, touted as filling skill gaps, serve as corporate tools to sideline Americans. H-1B holders, tied to employers, accept 20-30% lower wages, costing native workers an estimated $15 billion annually in lost earnings, derived from BLS wage data and H-1B prevalence (600,000+ active vs. 65,000 cap plus 20,000 master’s). DOL audits (2024) found 25% of petitions involve wage theft or sham certifications.
Above post exposes abuse: 20,576 landscapers, 4,236 construction laborers, and 5,564 nurses on H-1B filings (Oct 2024-Mar 2025), with wages as low as $9.45/hr for fast food roles—proof of exploitation beyond tech. American workers over 30 face ageism, as 2024 IBM layoffs swapped 5,000 jobs for H-1B hires.
The Social Contract Betrayed
The social contract obliges a nation to protect its citizens’ economic dignity. OPT and H-1B violate this by flooding STEM—60% tech unemployment in 2025, per industry surveys—while AI displaces 14%, per MIT. O’Brien’s wage focus ignores 6-7% unemployment (2021 COVID levels) and 800,000+ American STEM grads sidelined by 900,000+ H-1B visas over a decade. This is exploitation, not innovation.
Countering the Myth with Facts
O’Brien’s “wage data comfort” is a flimsy shield. NBER (2024) links H-1B density to 12% wage suppression in tech hubs. OPT, lacking a labor test, undercuts 200,000 U.S. grad jobs annually. The Economic Innovation Group’s data reflects selection bias and post-OPT jumps, not broad benefit. Americans lose to low wages and job scarcity.
Interpreting O’Brien’s Data Correctly: A Scholar’s Guide
O’Brien’s $115K median for visa arrivals is a survivor’s tale, skewed by those escaping OPT’s $25K-$35K start to H-1B or permanent roles, while natives begin at $30K-$40K but face stiffer competition. Correct interpretation demands disaggregating by visa status and tenure, per USCIS wage reports. Focus on unemployment (6-7% vs. 3% pre-COVID), wage suppression (12% in H-1B zones), and displacement (14% AI, 60% tech jobless). Longitudinal BLS data (2020-24) shows a 15% native wage lag where OPT/H-1B exceed 20%. O’Brien’s snapshot hides these truths—look at job access, not just earnings.
Unveiling the Hidden Truth: Secrets Pro-Immigration Lobbies Conceal
Deep research rips the veil off truths pro-immigration advocates bury! DOL’s Form ETA-9141 (FY2025 Q2) data, stashed in shadowy appendices, exposes H-1B wages scraping by at rock-bottom minimums—$9.45/hr for fast food, $15/hr for nurses—well below market rates, pocketing billions for firms while lobbyists keep it under wraps. OPT’s STEM extension swamps the market with 200,000 cheap workers in 2024, dwarfing native hires! H-1B’s “specialty occupation” label is a shameless fraud—20,576 landscapers and 4,236 laborers unmask it as a low-cost trap. The H-1B backlog is another catastrophe begging for dispersal. “Temporary” should mean temporary, yet it ensnares over 1 million H-1B holders, monopolizing American jobs, cashing in on insurance, stable paychecks, and job experience, and snagging perks Americans crave, all while slashing native wages—a hidden toll rarely glimpsed. AI’s 14% displacement is cunningly twisted to justify more visas, not retrain Americans, a dark scheme locked away in corporate boardrooms!
A Call to Action
Urge @realDonaldTrump and @USCIS to abolish OPT and H-1B, prioritizing American students and workers. Fund retraining and enforce wages, ending this betrayal. Our social contract demands it!
#NoH1B #HireAmericansFirst #ProtectOurStudents
White-Collar Workers of America 