DeSantis Orders Universities to End H‑1B Hiring

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered the state university system’s Board of Governors to stop using H‑1B visas and to prioritize American citizens and Florida graduates for academic and administrative jobs, calling H‑1B hiring “cheap labor” and alleging widespread abuse. He pointed to audit examples of foreign hires — from professors and coaches to IT staff — and urged universities that cannot find qualified Americans to reassess programs. The administration said it has eliminated or repurposed more than $33 million in DEI-related grants to align with state priorities and said exceptions for “extraordinary talent” would be handled via O visas rather than H‑1Bs. University leaders and faculty groups criticized the order as an intrusion on institutional autonomy and warned it could undermine the ability to hire the best candidates. Legal and practical questions remain because visas are federally regulated, the state lacks authority to revoke them, and it is unclear how current H‑1B holders would be treated; officials said they would enforce the directive and review hiring and spending amid broader federal H‑1B changes such as a newly announced $100,000 fee and proposed lottery reforms.