Posted on 11/24/2025 5:05:24 AM PST by libh8er
Ron Hira, Indian-origin professor at Howard University and a prominent critic of the H-1B visa program, has once again raised questions regarding the operation of this program in the US. In a post on X, Hira claimed that a considerable number of H-1B visa holders are of average quality and could be sourced domestically.
Given that Indians constitute the largest proportion of H-1B visa holders, Hira's critique was sure to attract attention. As the son of Indian immigrants who came to the US in the 1950s, well before the establishment of the H-1B system, his perspective sparked further discussion. ‘H-1B must be radically reformed,’ says Howard professor In a post on X, Hira mentioned that “A significant number of H-1B visa holders are average-grade labor that could be supplied domestically. Meanwhile, recent U.S. college students can’t find work in their field of study, and AI threatens to further disrupt the labor market. ” During a Heritage Foundation event, Hira elaborated on his views about the shortcomings of the existing system for both foreign and American workers. He stressed that rather than displacing American workers, the focus should be on reorganizing labor laws to guarantee that the H-1B program does not lower wages, protects all workers, and successfully handles actual labor shortages.
In an online video, Hira demonstrated real-life instances of how companies reportedly take profit from legal gaps. He gave an example of Deloitte Consulting, a leading H-1B company, that accepted an application in 2023. “And here the employer, Deloitte Consulting, a top 10 H-1B employer, is claiming that a position in its own job title is senior consultant. That’s Deloitte Consulting describing the position. A senior consultant is actually an entry-level position when it comes to setting the prevailing wage for the H-1B worker,” he stated. “Is a senior consultant entry-level? Probably not,” Hira added.
Hira's remarks sparked considerable debate on the internet. “And what is the ethnicity of the speaker? Indian? Exactly,” one individual commented. Another inquired, “Why are South Asian people being made the face of the immigration-restriction movement here? Surely you can find people from historically rooted American communities to share this message?” A third participant remarked, “Yet the Heritage Foundation wants to destroy all of our public institutions and privatize everything, giving these greedy corporations even more power. They will continue to offshore jobs and hire foreign labor while telling us we’re too stupid for the good jobs.” “Well, this looks like just another case of ‘H-1Bs against H-1B.’ Clearly these Indians don’t want more Indians to come,” one more chimed in.
It’s called curry code for a reason.
No worries.
Along the Cambridge/Boston/Seaport arc of questionable Tech firms.
The only solution is to deport all of them, yesterday.
A nation of scammers will find loopholes to exploit in any “reform.”
Yeah, that was so effing insulting. I guess he forgot about all the housewives that were “pulled out” of their homes to make missiles, warships, planes, etc. Anna’s all while keeping their homes running and raising kids. He wouldn’t know anything about that though
Not irrelevant at all, because Indian firms are simply importing peope without regard as to whether they add to America’s ability to be productive and they lock Americans, who could be productive, out of the workplace.
That number is incredibly dated.
Agreed that too many H1-B’s are mediocre, but we shouldn’t be importing them either way.
That number is not dated. You don’t get a different distribution by getting the data at any point in time later. They haven’t gotten smarter over the years. The distribution of intelligence and abilities do not change over time, because it is genetically set.
Nutritional changes in India have been huge.
Study up!
It’s called the Flynn effect and it has been worldwide, meaning that people from relative high IQ countries in 1900 have become relatively more intelligent. The distribution is still about the same worldwide. India is still sending us the B-team, because they ran out of the A-team long ago and it’s hurting Americans.
Yes, there has been a significant increase in IQ scores among populations in India since 1900, consistent with the global phenomenon known as the Flynn effect, where IQ test performance has risen over time due to factors like improved nutrition, education, healthcare, and environmental changes. This effect has been observed worldwide, with an average rise of about 3 IQ points per decade since the early 20th century, amounting to roughly 30-40 points over the past 125 years when comparing performance on the same tests. In developing countries like India, these gains have been even more pronounced compared to developed nations, with some of the largest leaps reported in India and China.
Studies and expert analyses confirm this trend applies to India, where cognitive abilities have shown improvements across generations, though the exact magnitude can vary based on test norms and regional factors. For context, if early 20th-century Indians took modern IQ tests, their average scores would likely be in the 60-70 range (adjusted to today’s norms), while today’s averages are estimated around 80-85, reflecting substantial progress tied to socioeconomic development.
That said, some recent data suggests a potential slowdown or slight decline in average IQ scores in India since the early 2000s (e.g., from around 82 to 76), possibly due to uneven access to education, population growth, or measurement inconsistencies, but this does not negate the long-term upward trend since 1900. The Flynn effect is considered “massive” by researchers, and India’s rapid economic and social changes have contributed to it, though gains may plateau as the country develops further.
That cycle is not confined to the tech field, nor is it a new phenomenon.
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