Congressman Riley M. Moore Leads Letter Urging DHS to End OPT Program, Protect American Workers

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Riley M. Moore sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin raising serious concerns about the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program and related work authorization pathways for foreign students, including STEM-OPT and Curricular Practical Training (CPT). The letter calls on DHS to take decisive action to restore integrity to the student visa system and prioritize job opportunities for American workers by ending the OPT and STEM-OPT programs.

In the letter, Congressman Moore detailed the rapid expansion of these programs, which now allow hundreds of thousands of foreign students to work in the United States outside of statutory visa caps established by Congress. These programs, created through regulatory action rather than legislation, have evolved into de facto guest-worker pipelines that disadvantage American graduates entering an already challenging job market.

Congressman Moore also raised concerns about reported abuses of the CPT program, including so-called “Day 1 CPT” arrangements in which foreign students work full-time while completing minimal academic requirements. These practices, he notes, undermine the intent of the F-1 student visa program and create unfair competition for U.S. workers.

The letter urges DHS to eliminate the OPT and STEM-OPT programs, pause new work authorizations under these pathways, and conduct a comprehensive rulemaking review. It also calls for increased oversight of institutions with unusually high CPT participation rates to ensure compliance with academic standards.

Congressman Riley M. Moore released the following statement:

“Our immigration system should exist for one reason: to benefit the American people. Big corporations pushed for the OPT, STEM-OPT, and CPT programs to import foreign workers and undercut American graduates. These programs were never authorized by Congress. That means DHS has both the authority and the responsibility to end these abuses, restore integrity to the student visa system, and put American workers first.”

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