After President Donald Trump’s administration amended the lottery selection process for attaining H-1B visas on Dec. 29 to favor “higher-skilled and higher-paid aliens,” it seems Gov. Greg Abbott is dutifully following Trump’s attacks on visa applicants. He announced a freeze in unapproved H-1B visa applications for public universities and state agencies on Jan. 27.
“State government must lead by example and ensure that employment opportunities — particularly those funded with taxpayer dollars — are filled by Texans first,” Abbott argued.
America is supposed to be the land of opportunity, but Abbott’s direct attack on our public institutions will result in a loss of specialized skills and labor that immigrant workers bring to Texas.
In the announcement, Abbott claimed the new H-1B visa policy is meant to strengthen Texas’s working conditions. He insisted that his changes, including championing the allocation of $5 billion to revamp the academic and technical programs in Texas’s higher education system, set Texas apart from other states. That is false.
Oxfam America, a nonprofit that fights inequality, injustice and poverty, released a 2025 index ranking the 50 states from best to worst for work based on their wage policies, worker protections and union rights. Texas ranked No.45 out of 50. That is far from being the “best state in the nation to work.”
Some of the current policies contributing to this score included the state minimum wage of $7.25, not providing protection for warehouse workers and the absence of workers’ protection against wage theft.
Abbott seems very concerned about “maintaining” Texas as the top worker state. In reality, he should shift his focus from following Trump’s beck and call to providing standard policies that actually improve Texans’ lives.
Furthermore, according to the Texas Tribune, the median salary of the 155,000 state employees is $60,828 as of Jan. 1. This wage is not a comfortable one and is less than livable for single-parent families. If Abbott wanted to improve Texans’ working conditions, he should focus on raising the wages of many of the workers in his government.
This does not only apply to government workers. As per their website, the Dallas Independent School District looked to sponsor visas for the 2025-2026 school year for elementary bilingual and special education teachers.
These positions require specific schooling and certifications to work that could be achieved by Texans. But, Texas has a shortage of teaching staff in the state due to the lackluster salaries teachers make. The issue is not that Texans’ jobs are being passed over or “stolen,” Abbott just does not care about employees’ real needs. He only cares about following Trump’s footsteps.
Abbott is a spineless governor so committed to bending his knee to Trump that he disregards the needs of everyday Texans to further the president’s agenda. Texans deserve better leadership than that. This November, Texans should elect a governor who truly wants the best for Texas, not a puppet who enables Trump’s actions at the expense of Texans.
