The U.S. Department of Labor announced on Nov. 25 that its Project Firewall initiative has significantly intensified federal enforcement against discriminatory hiring practices, marking a tougher stance on the H-1B visa program and its effects on American workers.
Launched as an H-1B enforcement drive, Project Firewall has pushed federal agencies to coordinate more closely, share data, and crack down on job postings that illegally favor foreign workers.
As part of the effort, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued updated guidance reaffirming that employers cannot limit job ads to H-1B visa holders—a practice that may constitute national origin discrimination.
According to the Labor Department, the initiative’s core objective is to protect the rights, wages, and opportunities of highly skilled U.S. workers by ensuring employers consider qualified Americans first. It also targets companies that misuse the H-1B program to sideline domestic talent.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer welcomed the EEOC’s actions, saying, “I applaud the EEOC for standing with the Department of Labor’s mandate under Project Firewall to ensure American workers have a fair chance to compete and succeed.”
She added that under President Trump’s leadership, federal agencies will continue working to eliminate abusive hiring practices and “safeguard opportunities for American workers.”
Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling called the joint approach essential, noting that by aligning enforcement tools and sharing information, agencies are “better positioned to prevent discriminatory hiring practices and protect labor market integrity.”
EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas said the commission will play a key role going forward.
“With the scale of unlawful anti-American discrimination we’re seeing, robust investigation and enforcement is essential to protecting America’s workforce,” she said.
The Labor Department said Project Firewall will continue collaborating with other federal agencies, within legal limits, to strengthen oversight and address discrimination.
The announcement comes at a time when H-1B visa reform and enforcement are at the center of national debates over the role of highly skilled immigrants in the U.S. labor market.
