Arizona is one of 20 states suing the Trump administration over a recently-announced fee for H-1B visa applications — that’s the visa used by foreign nationals working in fields like tech, medicine and other specialized fields.
The change was announced in a presidential proclamation in September — and under it, companies applying for H-1B visas for their foreign-born workers are required to pay $100,000 before the worker is given entry to the US.
Arizona Attornrey General Kris Mayes says rural school districts like in Buckeye, west of Phoenix and Nogales, south of Tucson, rely on H-1B visas to hire teachers and other staff and can’t afford the fee.
She says the change will also impact the state’s growing semiconductor industry — at a time when Arizona is already facing hiring struggles. The states’ lawsuit argues the new fee violates the Constitution and the Administrative Procedures Act.
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The group says that’s in response to comments from Trump administration officials like Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin — who told reporters earlier this month that ICE isn’t planning operations targeting polling locations, but that agents could be sent to address a "specific threats." -
Temporary Protected Status provides protection from deportation and a work permit. It’s available to nationals from countries deemed unsafe because of things like conflict or natural disaster. The status expired this week for some 170,000 Salvadorans. -
The state Court of Appeals has rejected efforts to void a measure approved by voters in 2024 on immigration. -
Back in January, federal immigration agents raided each of the 14 Zipps Sports Grill locations across metro Phoenix. They were looking for undocumented workers and ended up arresting dozens of them. -
The program was established by Congress almost two decades ago alongside federal anti-trafficking laws.
