Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa has warned that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem must STOP issuing work authorizations to student visa holders , which is in direct violation of the law.
Grassley has explained that, according to the law, student visas are supposed to be for STUDY – not for WORK, and said hundreds of thousands are work permits are being issued to student visa holders, which is robbing American citizens of jobs.
For example, Grassley says over 33,000 current Chinese student visa holders have been given STEM work authorizations.
A press release posted on Grassley’s website recalls that he had previously sounded the alarm during a speech on the Senate floor in March, and called on Noem to stop issuing work authorizations to foreign students. He said then that his office had reached out directly to DHS over the issue multiple times.
In a post on X, Grassley wrote, “DHS needs 2 stop issuing work authorizations 2 student visa holders who compete against Americans It’s in direct violation of law &puts USA at risk of tech and corporate espionage I sent a letter 2 DHS Scty Noem asking her to end work authorizations 4 foreign student visa holders.”
DHS needs 2 stop issuing work authorizations 2 student visa holders who compete against Americans It’s in direct violation of law &puts USA at risk of tech and corporate espionage I sent a letter 2 DHS Scty Noem asking her to end work authorizations 4 foreign student visa holders
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) September 23, 2025
On Tuesday, the long-time senator fired off a letter to Noem, which reads:
Dear Secretary Noem,
I am concerned about the job prospects of young Americans. The Federal Reserve recently found that “the unemployment rate of males ages 22 to 27 is roughly the same, whether or not they hold a degree.” It also found that recent American graduates with STEM majors have higher unemployment rates than the general population. I find these employment trends deeply troubling.
Competition from foreign graduates is contributing to rising unemployment rates among college-educated Americans. This should not be the case. Congress placed caps on employment visas for foreign graduates to ensure that American jobs are filled by American graduates.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), however, is issuing hundreds of thousands of work authorizations to student visa holders in direct violation of the law. DHS even allows foreign graduates to stay in the United States on their student visas for years after graduation in order to work. These work authorizations are incompatible with the Immigration and Nationality Act, which clearly states a student visa is “solely” for the purpose of pursuing an education, not employment.
In addition to harming American job seekers, foreign student work authorizations also put our nation at risk of technological and corporate espionage. For example, over 33,000 Chinese student visa holders have STEM work authorizations that allow them to work in sensitive tech positions. The FBI has warned that China is engaging in the “systematic theft of intellectual property” by targeting businesses and academic institutions, and the USCIS ombudsman has found that foreign student work authorizations are “currently being used by government actors from countries such as the [People’s Republic of China] as a means of conducting espionage and technology transfer.”
In March, I gave a speech on the Senate floor calling on you to stop issuing work authorizations to foreign students. My office has also reached out directly to DHS about this issue several times. It appears, however, that DHS is still issuing work authorizations to student visa holders. I am again asking you to put an end to these unlawful employment authorizations.
If your reply to this letter does not contain a commitment to ending work authorizations for student visa holders, then I expect a detailed explanation of what legal authority DHS is relying on to issue these authorizations, and whether the Department has reevaluated that authority in light of the Supreme Court’s recent rulings on the major questions doctrine and administrative deference. I would also like a staff-level briefing on the matter. Please provide a response by October 10, 2025.
Sincerely,
Sen. Charles E. Grassley
Chairman
Senate Judiciary Committee
BELOW IS GRASSLEY’S SPEECH ON THE SENATE FLOOR ON MARCH 5, 2025. (2:47 minutes).
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