H-1B: Facebook accused by Trump administration of visa abuse

The Trump administration claims Facebook Inc. is discriminating against U.S. workers by designating thousands of positions for foreigners with temporary H-1B visas.

The company “refused to recruit, consider, or hire qualified and available U.S. workers for over 2,600 positions” and instead reserved the jobs — with an average salary of $156,000 — to non-citizens that it sponsored for permanent work authorizations with green cards, according a statement issued Thursday by the civil rights division of the Justice Department.

The complaint reflects the pressure President Donald Trump is keeping on social media giants even in the waning days of his administration. It comes after judges have blocked efforts by the administration to halt access to several types of employment-based visas, part of Trump’s broader agenda to prioritize filling positions at U.S. companies with Americans.