'Everybody’s got to go home': Ex-Trump adviser Steve Bannon demands end to H-1B visas amid mass tech layoffs

Steve Bannon has sharply criticised the Trump administration’s approval of over 135,000 H-1B visas this year, calling the move “outrageous” at a time when entry-level tech workers in the US are facing mass layoffs and the growing threat of job displacement due to artificial intelligence.“In a time where they're having mass layoffs… coupled with AI coming in and going to take off all the entry level jobs,” Bannon said on his War Room podcast, “they've approved 135,000 H-1Bs. Well, guess what? This is not going to happen. We're going to light up every member… that supports this. That is outrageous.”The former Trump strategist argued that the number of H-1B visas required this year should be “zero” and said that every foreign worker who received one should be sent home: “Everyone that’s been issued has to be unissued. Everybody’s got to go home. And every one of those billets has to be replaced by an American citizen.”Bannon claimed that foreign workers are being hired at a fraction of the cost, calling the H-1B programme a form of “indentured servitude.” He accused Congress and Big Tech of undercutting American graduates who have spent years preparing for STEM careers, only to find themselves shut out of jobs. “They’re paying these people 50% less and they’re working them 20 hours a day, seven days a week,” he said.According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), 135,137 H-1B registrations were selected for fiscal year 2025, part of an annual cap system that limits the number of visas issued. However, USCIS selects more registrations than the final number of visas issued due to expected denials or non-filings.The number of eligible registrations has surged in recent years. In 2024, the agency received over 750,000 eligible registrations, a sharp rise from just under 270,000 in 2021. While critics argue this influx strains opportunities for US workers, tech companies say the programme fills key skill gaps, particularly in engineering and computer science roles.Despite this, Bannon insists that the talent already exists within the US: “They cannot show you one example… [where] someone’s in that billet that has better education or better experience than an American.”Steve Bannon rose to prominence as the executive chairman of Breitbart News, a far-right media outlet that championed Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. He went on to serve as Trump’s chief strategist in the White House but was ousted in 2017 following internal clashes and negative media attention.Bannon has remained an influential figure on the American right through his War Room podcast, a hub for MAGA loyalists and anti-establishment rhetoric. Despite multiple legal setbacks—including a contempt of Congress conviction and a looming jail sentence—he continues to wield considerable sway within Trump-aligned circles.Once described by Time magazine as “the second most powerful man in the world,” Bannon is now a key voice in shaping hard-right opposition to both Democrats and Republicans who fail to toe the MAGA line.