2026年5月21日 美国东部时间上午9:47 / 福克斯新闻频道
格罗特曼议员的法案旨在封堵这一漏洞，该漏洞为雇主雇佣外国工人提供了“重大财政激励”
作者：彼得·皮内多 福克斯新闻
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6395436002112
美国移民海关执法局代理局长揭露数千名涉嫌欺诈的外国工人
美国移民海关执法局代理局长托德·莱昂斯透露，国土安全调查处的官员查获了数千名涉嫌欺诈的外国工人。
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福克斯新闻独家首发： 1万名“幽灵员工”利用联邦工作计划的丑闻，推动共和党着手解决外国工人供应链背后的财政激励问题，该供应链每年致使美国民众流失数十万个工作岗位。
根据现行联邦法律，参与选择性实习培训（OPT）延期计划的数十万外国学生和雇主无需缴纳社会保障和医疗保险工资税，而企业必须为国内员工缴纳此类税款。这为雇主雇佣外国OPT员工而非美国本土员工提供了“重大财政激励”。
威斯康星州共和党众议员格伦·格罗特曼于周四提出了一项名为《OPT公平税收法案》的法案，该法案要求雇主缴纳与美国工人相同的社会保障和医疗保险工资税，从而消除这一激励机制。格罗特曼认为，通过封堵这一漏洞，该法案“有助于为进入职场的美国毕业生创造更公平的竞争环境”。
这位议员告诉福克斯新闻数字频道：“美国民众不应因为华盛顿创造了一个更倾向于雇佣外国工人而非合格美国公民的漏洞而处于不利地位。”他补充道：“太多从我们各大院校毕业的年轻美国人被迫在一个对他们不利的倾斜竞争环境中竞争。”
美国司法部呼吁举报雇佣中偏袒外国工人的雇主
威斯康星州共和党众议员格伦·格罗特曼（中）于周四提出法案，取消外国工人供应链背后的财政激励机制。此前，美国移民和海关执法局（ICE）查获了1万名利用联邦工作计划的“幽灵员工”，该供应链每年致使美国民众流失数十万个工作岗位。（马文·约瑟夫/《华盛顿邮报》 via 盖蒂图片社）
格罗特曼的法案是参议院议员汤姆·科顿于去年9月提出的一项法案在众议院的配套法案。
尽管科顿的法案尚未通过，但在美国移民海关执法局代理局长托德·莱昂斯宣布联邦调查人员在一项涉及该计划的大规模欺诈案中查获了1万多名与“可疑雇主”有关的外国学生后，OPT计划受到了越来越多的审查。
莱昂斯表示，OPT计划允许持F-1签证的国际学生在美国从事与其学习领域相关的临时工作，如今该计划“已膨胀为一个不受管控的客工供应链，数十万外国学生在美国工作”。
他说：“随着计划规模的爆炸式增长，欺诈行为也随之增加。”
“今天，我们宣布我们已经确认了1万多名自称在高度可疑的雇主处工作的外国学生，而这仅在前25名OPT雇主中出现。这还只是冰山一角，”他说道。
美国移民海关执法局局长还表示，调查人员查获了他所称的“幽灵员工”，他表示这些外国学生通过OPT计划获得了工作许可，但实际上从未在他们声称工作的地点上班。
特朗普支持的住房法案在共和党无视参议院施压运动后在众议院获得通过
美国移民和海关执法局代理局长托德·莱昂斯于2026年2月12日抵达华盛顿特区，参加参议院国土安全和政府事务委员会关于美国移民海关执法局、海关和边境保护局以及公民身份和移民服务局监督工作的听证会。（汤姆·威廉姆斯/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via 盖蒂图片社）
格罗特曼告诉福克斯新闻数字频道，这些调查结果“凸显了OPT计划内的严重漏洞”。
他说：“有关数千名OPT计划中的外国学生与幽灵员工和可疑雇主有关的报道，应该给每个美国人敲响警钟。”他补充道：“目前，联邦政府创造了雇佣外国工人而非美国工人的财政激励。”
格罗特曼表示，税收优惠的规模相当可观。他援引了科技和行业智库进步研究所收集的数据，该数据显示，在2017财年至2022财年期间，每年平均约有33万名学生参与OPT计划。该智库还估计，取消税收豁免将在10年内为联邦政府增加270亿至360亿美元的收入。
共和党法案针对蓝州，将新冠疫情时期的数十亿美元失业债务转嫁给企业
2026年5月2日，从华盛顿纪念碑顶部拍摄的美国国会大厦全景。（肯·塞德诺/路透社）
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“国会应该专注于为年轻美国人打开大门，帮助美国毕业生找到高薪工作，并确保雇主优先雇佣美国人。而不是创造激励机制，让企业绕过美国人才，”他强调道。
“美国民众有权知道，这么多可疑的雇主如何能够在这个体系中运营这么久，”他继续说道。“国会应该优先考虑美国工人，恢复那些日益容易被滥用和剥削的计划的公正性。”
彼得·皮内多是福克斯新闻数字频道的政治撰稿人。
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Phantom employees’ scandal spurs GOP crackdown on $36B incentive for companies to bypass Americans
May 21, 2026 9:47am EDT / Fox News
Rep. Grothman’s bill seeks close the loophole creating a ‘significant financial incentive’ to hire foreign workers
By Peter Pinedo Fox News
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6395436002112#### Acting ICE director reveals thousands of potential fraudulent foreign workers
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons revealed that Homeland Security Investigations officers uncovered potentially thousands of fraudulent foreign workers.
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FIRST ON FOX: The discovery of 10,000 “phantom employees” exploiting a federal work program has helped spur Republicans to tackle the financial incentives behind a foreign worker pipeline costing Americans hundreds of thousands of jobs per year.
Under current federal law, hundreds of thousands of foreign students and employers participating in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension program are exempt from paying Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes, which companies are required to pay for domestic workers. This has led to the creation of a “significant financial incentive” for employers to hire foreign OPT workers over Americans.
Republican Rep. Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin introduced a bill Thursday, titled the “OPT Fair Tax Act,” that eliminates that incentive by requiring employers to pay the same Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes paid for American workers. By closing the loophole, Grothman believes the bill “helps create a more level playing field for American graduates entering the workforce.”
The congressman told Fox News Digital that “Americans should not be put at a disadvantage because Washington created a loophole that favors hiring foreign workers over qualified U.S.citizens.” He added that “too many young Americans graduating from our colleges and universities are forced to compete against a system that tilts the playing field against them.”
DOJ CALLS FOR TIPS ON EMPLOYERS FAVORING FOREIGN WORKERS IN HIRING PRACTICES
Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., (center) dropped a bill Thursday to kill the financial incentives behind a foreign worker pipeline costing Americans hundreds of thousands of jobs after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) uncovered 10,000 “phantom employees” exploiting a federal work program.(Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Grothman’s bill is the House companion to a Senate bill introduced by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., in September.
Though Cotton’s bill has not passed, OPT has faced increased scrutiny after Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons announced federal investigators uncovered more than 10,000 foreign students connected to “suspect employers” as part of a massive fraud scheme involving the program.
Lyons said that OPT, which lets international students on F-1 visas work temporarily in the country in jobs related to their field of study, had “ballooned into an uncontrolled guest worker pipeline with hundreds of thousands of foreign students working in the United States.”
He said that “as the program size exploded, so has the fraud.”
“Today, we are announcing we have identified over 10,000 foreign students who claim to be working for highly suspect employers, and that’s just among the top 25 OPT employers. This is only the tip of the iceberg,” he said.
The ICE director also said investigators uncovered what he referred to as “phantom employees,” who he said are foreign students who obtained work authorization through OPT but never actually showed up for work at the sites they claimed to work out of.
TRUMP-BACKED HOUSING BILL CLEARS HOUSE AFTER GOP DEFIES SENATE PRESSURE CAMPAIGN
Todd Lyons, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arrives for the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on oversight of ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and Citizenship and Immigration Services in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 12, 2026.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
Grothman told Fox News Digital that these findings “point to serious vulnerabilities within the OPT program.”
He said that “reports that thousands of foreign students in the OPT program were tied to phantom employees and suspicious employers should alarm every American,” adding, “Right now, the federal government has created a financial incentive to hire foreign workers over Americans.”
Grothman said the scale of the tax preference has been significant. He pointed to data gathered by the technology and industry think tank Institute for Progress, which found that between fiscal years 2017 and 2022, an average of approximately 330,000 students participated in OPT annually. The think tank also estimated that eliminating the tax exemption would increase federal revenue by between $27 billion and $36 billion over a 10-year period.
GOP BILL TARGETS BLUE STATE FOR BILLIONS IN COVID-ERA UNEMPLOYMENT DEBT DUMPED ON BUSINESSES
A general view of the U.S. Capitol Building from the top of the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., on May 2, 2026.(Ken Cedeno/Reuters)
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“Congress should be focused on opening doors for young Americans, helping U.S. graduates find good-paying jobs and ensuring employers are encouraged to hire Americans first. Not creating incentives for companies to bypass American talent,” he emphasized.
“The American people deserve to know how so many questionable employers were able to operate within the system for so long,” he continued. “Congress should be prioritizing American workers and restoring integrity to programs that have become increasingly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.”
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
