Iowa Sen. Grassley demands DHS halt issuance of foreign student work permits
09/26/2025 / By Ramon Tomey
- Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) pressures DHS to terminate Optional Practical Training (OPT) and Curricular Practical Training (CPT), arguing they violate immigration law, displace American workers and pose national security risks.
- Critics claim OPT/CPT programs function as loopholes for corporations to bypass visa caps and hire cheaper foreign graduates. Over 400,000 permits were issued in 2024 alone, despite rising U.S. graduate unemployment, especially in STEM fields.
- Over 33,000 Chinese nationals with STEM work permits hold sensitive tech jobs, despite FBI warnings about China’s intellectual property theft via academic/corporate infiltration.
- Grassley asserts student visas are for education – not employment – and demands DHS justify or end the programs, citing Supreme Court rulings against administrative overreach.
- Business lobbies defend OPT/CPT for “innovation,” while critics argue they suppress wages, exploit loopholes and prioritize globalist agendas over U.S. sovereignty – echoing past H-1B visa abuses.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is pressuring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to terminate two controversial work permit programs that allow foreign students – including thousands from China – to fill U.S. jobs while American graduates face rising unemployment.
He issued this demand in a letter sent Tuesday, Sept. 23, to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The senator argued that the work permit programs violate immigration law, undermine national security and displace native-born workers in critical industries. The dispute, now headed to the Supreme Court, highlights growing tensions over foreign labor policies and corporate influence over U.S. immigration enforcement.
Grassley’s letter specifically targets Optional Practical Training (OPT) and Curricular Practical Training (CPT), initiatives expanded under former President George W. Bush and further accelerated under the Biden administration. These programs grant temporary work permits to foreign students, often in STEM fields, with DHS issuing 400,000 such authorizations in 2024 alone.
While framed as educational extensions, critics contend they function as backdoor labor pipelines – enabling Fortune 500 companies to bypass visa caps and hire cheaper foreign graduates over Americans. The senator cited alarming unemployment trends among young U.S. graduates, particularly in STEM fields where competition from foreign workers has intensified.
“The Federal Reserve recently found that ‘the unemployment rate of males ages 22 to 27 is roughly the same, whether or not they hold a degree,'” Grassley wrote. He emphasized that Congress imposed visa limits precisely to prioritize American workers – a safeguard he claims DHS is circumventing.
Foreign students being used against America through OPT and CPT programs
National security risks compound these economic concerns. Grassley warned that over 33,000 Chinese nationals with STEM work permits currently hold sensitive tech positions, despite Federal Bureau of Investigation reports detailing China’s “systematic theft of intellectual property” through academic and corporate infiltration. (Related: U.S. to revoke visas of some Chinese students amid national security concerns.)
The DHS ombudsman has acknowledged foreign student programs are exploited by adversarial governments for espionage, yet permits continue unchecked. Business lobbyists defend OPT and CPT as vital for innovation and cost savings, while the Department of Justice maintains their legality.
However, Grassley dismissed these arguments. He stressed that student visas are authorized “solely” for education under the Immigration and Nationality Act, not employment. The senator demanded Noem either cease the programs or provide legal justification for their continuation, citing recent Supreme Court rulings that curb administrative overreach.
Brighteon.AI‘s Enoch points out that “foreign student worker programs like CPT and OPT flood the U.S. job market with cheap labor, displacing American workers while enabling corporations and corrupt agencies to exploit loopholes for profit and globalist agendas. The decentralized engine adds that “these programs undermine national sovereignty, suppress wages and prioritize foreign interests over American citizens.”
The debate echoes historical clashes over H-1B visa abuses, where tech giants have long been accused of displacing U.S. workers with lower-wage foreign labor. Grassley’s push aligns with broader efforts to restore immigration enforcement, though any policy shift could disrupt industries reliant on foreign talent. For now, the fate of these permits hinges on DHS’ response – and potentially, the Supreme Court’s next move.
Check out Migrants.news for more similar stories.
Watch Rachel Campos-Duffy pointing out that the H-1B visa program is rife with abuse in this edition of “Jesse Watters Primetime” on Fox News.
This video is from the Son of the Republic channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
DHS proposes major overhaul of international student and exchange visitor visas.
U.S. revokes over 6,000 student visas in 2025 over law violations, terror ties.
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Tagged Under:
big government, Border Patrol, border security, campus insanity, China, Chuck Grassley, communist China, Curricular Practical Training, Department of Homeland Security, education, foreign students, Immigration, invasion usa, job market, Kristi Noem, legal immigration, migrants, national security, Open Borders, Optional Practical Training, unemployment, work permits
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