The US Department of Labor is launching a visa fraud strike team and pursuing 16 fugitives linked to hundreds of millions of dollars in alleged theft, Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito announced, as the Trump administration steps up scrutiny of foreign-worker programs, including H-1B visas, and employer-sponsored immigration.
In remarks shared on October 8, D’Esposito said the new team would bring together investigators from across government to trace financial transactions, uncover alleged fraud schemes and work with the Justice Department to prosecute those responsible. The initiative is being pursued alongside Vice President JD Vance’s White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
In a post on X, D’Esposito said the Labor Inspector General’s most-wanted list would feature 16 fugitives linked to $250 million in stolen funds. His remarks, however, described the amount associated with the 16 individuals as nearly $500 million. The discrepancy was not explained in the announcement.
“We will follow the money, uncover the schemes, and work with attorney general Todd Blanche to prosecute criminals,” D’Esposito said.
The announcement comes amid a broader administration crackdown on alleged abuse of employment-based immigration programs, including a separate move to suspend several technology companies from a key green card sponsorship process.
Visa fraud strike team to pursue fugitives
D’Esposito said the new initiative would combine investigative expertise from different government agencies to pursue suspected fraudsters and identify the financial proceeds of alleged criminal schemes.
He also warned fugitives that authorities would work with law enforcement partners to locate them, regardless of where they were hiding.
The announcement did not provide a detailed breakdown of the allegations against the 16 individuals or explain whether all the cases involved immigration or employment-visa fraud specifically.
D’Esposito cited the wider White House fraud task force’s record, saying investigations had contributed to 171 indictments, 203 convictions, 80 arrests and more than 70 search warrants since the task force was established.
The investigations had also identified more than $1 billion for taxpayers, he said. The announcement did not provide a detailed breakdown of that figure or specify how much had been recovered.
These figures relate to the broader task force’s work and should not be attributed exclusively to the newly announced visa fraud strike team.
Microsoft, Indian IT firms face separate green card suspension
The visa fraud announcement follows another significant development affecting employment-based immigration. The Trump administration has suspended Microsoft and several other technology companies from the Permanent Labor Certification, or PERM, program, which is a key step in many employer-sponsored green card applications.
The companies affected include Indian IT services firms Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Wipro and HCL Technologies, alongside Cognizant, Adobe and Capgemini.
Vance accused Microsoft of laying off thousands of American workers while continuing to rely heavily on foreign workers. The administration said the suspensions were intended to address alleged abuse of the employment-based immigration system and prioritize American workers.
US Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said the department would not accept new or process pending PERM applications involving the affected companies, according to the report.
The suspension concerns the green card labor certification process; it is not, by itself, a blanket cancellation of H-1B visas held by employees of those companies.
The latest visa fraud strike team announcement does not establish that the 16 fugitives are connected to the companies named in the PERM action. The two developments form part of the administration’s wider enforcement efforts but involve distinct announcements and allegations.