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– Edited by Shawna Chen
THE BIG STORY
How the GOP’s push to limit immigration is turning on skilled workers
Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivers remarks at the White House. Photo: White House
For years, the GOP has tapped into blue-collar workers’ fears to crack down on undocumented immigration at the border. Now, they’re using the same playbook to target H-1B visas, reframing it as an affordability issue amid heightened economic anxiety among Americans.
What’s happening: Republicans haven’t been faring well on the affordability crisis. Between the Iran War driving up gas prices, ongoing tariffs raising costs for consumers and a sluggish job market for recent grads, especially in tech and other high skilled jobs, it’s no surprise young people feel especially squeezed by the economy.
With the midterm clock ticking down, conservatives’ shift to target skilled workers could be a last-ditch effort to gain support.
After weeks of inflammatory GOP rhetoric accusing Asians—especially South Asians—of replacing white Americans by stealing educational resources and job opportunities, the State Department launched a new online tip form for reporting visa fraud this month.
The launch quickly led to many social media users directly encouraging people to report visa holders of “Islamic” or “Indian” origin.
The Labor Department’s inspector general also announced that the office is ramping up subpoenas, search warrants, and suspensions involving companies that employ foreign labor, after estimating that suspected H-1B fraud could cost $20 billion a year.
How that number was calculated—and who exactly it’s costing—is unclear.
The stakes: Asian immigrants have historically used visas like the H-1B as a means to move to and work in the U.S. People born in India accounted for nearly three-quarters of workers whose H-1B applications were approved in 2023, according to Pew. People born in China were the second largest share, at about 12%.
For current and prospective H-1B workers, staying in the U.S. has become increasingly difficult, especially after the White House imposed and extended a $100,000 filing fee through at least next year, per Reuters.
Some Republicans, including Reps. Riley Moore of West Virginia and Brandon Gill of Texas, are calling to do away with H-1B visas entirely.
Much of their frustration and anger is directed at Indian and other South Asian Americans, a sentiment that has only grown since Texas railroad commissioner candidate Bo French linked South Asian students celebrating a UT Austin football victory to the Great Replacement Theory.
The reality: New visas are capped at 85,000 total per year—0.05% of the U.S. civilian workforce, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates, making it difficult to back up allegations of an “Indian takeover.”
Our Take
Trump allies’ efforts to blame both H-1B workers (whom they broadly describe as “legal”) and undocumented immigrants (whom they consider “illegal”) for growing affordability and employment crises affect broad swaths of Asian communities regardless of citizenship status.
Perhaps for conservatives finding various arguments to oppose different classes of immigration, what matters most isn’t whether someone has the right papers, but their fear of the “Other” and the potential of losing concentrated power.
ELECTIONS WATCH
What one California race could say about Democrats’ future among AAPIs
Doris Matsui (left) has represented the Sacramento area in the House since 2005. Mai Vang says voters deserve someone new. Designed by Erin Chen/The Yappie. Photos: House.gov and Wikimedia Commons
The race to represent California’s 7th District in Congress is giving us a glimpse into how AAPIs perceive Democratic politics as tensions between establishment leaders and new, progressive voices heat up.
The latest: The Sacramento Bee endorsed Mai Vang over incumbent Doris Matsui this past week in an editorial that criticized Matsui for avoiding “the hard questions voters deserve to hear answered.”
The second most senior Asian American member of the House, Matsui has held the seat since 2005. Now 82, she has the support of prominent politicians like outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The challenger: Vang, who is half of Matsui’s age, is betting on voters who want a fresh face, especially among AAPI youth who have shifted further left in recent years. “If seniority would have saved us, we wouldn't be here today,” she told ABC10.
Behind the scenes: Despite Matsui’s tenure, she hasn’t accumulated the same level of influence as other AAPI leaders. She treads cautiously on several hot button issues—like Medicare for all, which she said needs more research in an August debate.
Vang, on the other hand, has staked out policy positions further left—supporting Medicare for All and the abolishment of ICE. In the primary, she beat Matsui by about 2% of voters (roughly 4,500), per the New York Times.
Our Take
Vang and Matsui’s competition parallels races around the country that could determine the Democratic Party’s future, where younger candidates with more populist economic and social views are threatening older, more centrist incumbents’ grip on power.
In a district where about a quarter of eligible voters are AAPI, Matsui and Vang’s face-off will signal how AAPI communities react to growing rifts in the Democratic Party, especially as aging elected officials face increasing scrutiny.
ON OUR RADAR
Screenshot from “Niu Lai”
Love for the animated film “Niu Lai,” which follows the titular Niu Lai as he grows from a calf to a bull leading his herd, is spilling over into the U.S. from China.
It sounds cute, but the animation is largely shoddy and plot holes abound—which made more sense when I learned mother and son created it entirely on a home computer.
Yet venues in San Francisco and New York are hosting watch parties for the bizarre film. In Brooklyn, Seventh Heaven Bar in Brooklyn is screening it every night this week through Saturday.
So what has driven its virality? The film’s so-bad-it’s-good style quickly catapulted the movie to internet fame.
Between AI’s performative polish and social media’s curated perfectionism, people might just want to see something real.
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Founded in 2018, The Yappie is an independent, nonprofit news organization reporting on Asian American + Pacific Islander power, politics, and influence. Learn more.
