H-1B workers aren't 'cheap labour': Trump ally Laura Loomer faces backlash

Trump ally Laura Loomer expressed regret over earlier anti-India posts after backlash but said she would continue opposing the H-1B visa programme

As the debate over the H-1B visa programme continues to stir political tensions in the United States, American far-right activist and Donald Trump loyalist Laura Loomer apologised on Sunday for some of her earlier “anti-India” social media posts after they drew backlash online, but said she would not withdraw her criticism of the visa system.

 

A controversy erupted after Loomer arrived in India for a conclave, with several social media users circulating screenshots of older posts that included crude stereotypes and derogatory remarks about Indians, including comments about hygiene and intelligence.

 

Loomer, known for hardline views on immigration, said she regretted some of those earlier comments. However, she said she would not apologise for opposing the H-1B visa programme.

   

“I will never apologise for speaking out for American workers who have been shafted by H1B visa abuse,” she wrote.

 

“I am not going to apologise for opposing the H-1B visa programme, because my job is to stand up for American interests. Our immigration and labour laws have been exploited and abused. I will continue to fight for American workers who are struggling to find employment.”

 

Responding to her remarks, the Indian American Advocacy Council said the programme fills genuine labour shortages and that new H-1B visa holders earn average salaries of about $110,000, higher than the US national average.

 

What Laura Loomer said about H-1B visas, Indians:

 

“I will never apologise for speaking out for American workers who have been shafted by H1B visa abuse.

 

I urged Indians to have empathy for American students and American workers who are having their employment aspirations taken away from them by cheap Indian labor via the H1B visa program. If Indians want stereotypes to end, they must understand Americans have every right to want to put themselves and their job security first.

 

Americans have every right to feel angry that they are not being given the opportunity to work in their own country in STEM fields while Indians are imported to the US to do the jobs Americans want. More Indians should be supportive of H1B visa reforms and crackdowns on immigration and labor.

 

I would like to see India be a supportive partner to the American people by not playing into the games of the Leftist Big Tech CEOs who have created this mess by making Americans jobless and turning Indians into slaves. Both the American people and the Indian people deserve better,” she said.

 

She also questioned how Indians would react if the situation were reversed.

 

“In the United States, our jobs are our jobs. How would the Indian people like it if the reverse were taking place and Americans were being mass imported into India to take all of the best jobs in STEM? There would be riots. Let’s be honest,” Loomer said.

 

Previously, in multiple posts on X, Loomer had made crude stereotypes and remarks about Indians, questioning their presence in the United States and making disparaging comments about hygiene and intellectual abilities. When Loomer later posted about her arrival in India to attend the conclave, controversy erupted online, with many pointing to her earlier posts about the country. 

 

Indian American Advocacy Council responds

 

The Indian American Advocacy Council pushed back against Loomer’s claims, saying the portrayal of H-1B workers as “cheap labour” was inaccurate.

 

“H-1B workers aren’t ‘cheap labor’, federal law requires prevailing wages, and recent estimates show new H-1B pay averages about $110K+, higher than the US average,” the council said in a statement.

 

The organisation said most workers hired through the programme fill genuine skill shortages rather than replace American workers.

 

It added that artificial intelligence and advanced technology research rely heavily on global talent, including H-1B professionals.

 

The council also pointed to broader contributions by foreign-born professionals.

 

One in four US physicians is foreign-born, and many serve in rural areas where staffing shortages are common, it said.

 

Engineers are also building infrastructure across fast-growing states such as Texas and Arizona.

 

“We support smart reform to close loopholes and abuse. But scapegoating skilled immigrants ignores both the data and America’s innovation model,” the council said.