American CEO Hany Girgis, who is known on X for his critical posts about the H-1B visa programme, has shared screenshots that he claimed were sent to him by a vice-president at a Fortune 500 company.
Girgis said the screenshots pointed to alleged abuse of the H-1B system, including favouritism in hiring, unfair treatment of American workers and possible kickbacks involving staffing firms.
The post went viral at a time when the H-1B programme is already under intense political scrutiny, with the Trump administration taking steps aimed at preventing misuse of the visa system.
According to the screenshots shared by Girgis, the alleged problems begin during recruitment. The claims suggest that when H-1B employees are involved in the hiring process, certain preferred candidates may be selected while American applicants are rejected.
The screenshots also alleged that interview questions are sometimes shared in advance and that staffing vendors may offer benefits or kickbacks if specific candidates are hired.
Another claim was that preferred employees are given high-profile assignments and greater visibility, while American workers are given unusually aggressive deadlines.
The post also made a separate allegation involving Indian-owned grocery stores and restaurants in Texas, particularly in Dallas and Austin. It claimed that some managers and employees may have ownership interests in such businesses and use them as an additional source of income.
However, these claims were presented through screenshots and social media posts and have not been independently verified.
As the post gained attention, some “America First” activists used the allegations to make sweeping attacks on Indians. Florida Republican Chandler Langevin went further, arguing that the problem was not the H-1B programme itself but Indian workers.
His comments triggered criticism because they generalised alleged misconduct by individuals to an entire nationality and community.
At the same time, several social media users questioned the credibility of the original claims. Some asked why a vice-president at a Fortune 500 company, if aware of such serious abuse, would not raise the issue internally or with the relevant authorities.
The episode has once again highlighted how allegations of H-1B misuse can quickly become mixed with broader political and racial rhetoric online.
While concerns about fraud, favouritism and abuse in employment-based visa programmes can be investigated through proper channels, unverified claims and nationality-based generalisations risk turning a policy debate into a wider attack on immigrant communities.
