James Fishback, the CEO of investment firm Azoria Partners and initial architect of the Department of Government Efficiency’s “DOGE checks” tool, has emerged as a prominent voice calling for the dismantling of the H-1B visa program, specifically targeting the employment of Indian workers in American companies.
His increasingly vocal opposition has triggered both regulatory retaliation and a broader debate about the role of skilled immigration in the U.S. economy—placing him at odds with tech industry leaders and even some within the Trump administration who previously supported his work.
“Stop Importing Indians”
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Fishback wrote: “The H-1B scam is hurting Americans, especially in Florida. If companies in FL want to hire skilled workers, stop importing Indians and hire recent grads from FSU, UF, FAU, and UCF.”
The Times of India reported that Fishback has made even more explicit statements, reportedly saying “we don’t need legal Indians either” and calling for people to “stay in their own countries.” The publication noted that Fishback has been particularly critical of what he characterizes as the H-1B “scam.”
Rejecting H-1B-Dependent Companies
Fishback’s opposition to H-1B visas isn’t merely rhetorical—it’s central to his investment strategy. According to Breitback News, Fishback has been rejecting investment opportunities in companies that rely heavily on H-1B workers, particularly those employing Indian nationals.
“Automation makes sense,” Fishback told Breitbart News. “But what’s happening now is … You’ve got 50,000 accounting graduates every single year … [yet] companies like Deloitte and Accenture, who employ entry-level accountants, are using H-1Bs for those roles.”
His stance against corporate reliance on H-1Bs matches what Breitbart described as “the pro-automation policy pushed by Trump and JD Vance.” In a September interview with Breitbart, Fishback elaborated on his vision:
“We’re going to need robots … to make our economy run because we do not have enough people,” he said. “We don’t [have] enough people to do it. So we have to get efficient … we’ll probably add to [the existing workforce] through robotically—it’s going to be robotically … It’s going to be big. Then, somebody is going to have to make the robots. The whole thing, it feeds on itself … we’re going to streamline things. We need efficiency.”
He argued that the promise of cheap labor is “a drug that too many American firms got addicted to.”
Regulatory Retaliation
Fishback’s anti-H-1B investment stance has triggered what he describes as ideologically motivated regulatory retaliation. According to Breitbart News, Tidal Financial Group—which manages exchange-traded funds (ETFs)—moved to delist one of Azoria’s funds after Fishback made his H-1B positions public.
“The Chief Operating Officer and president [of Tidal], Eric Falkeis …. said this [opposition to H1Bs] was unethical,” Fishback said.
In response, Fishback asked SEC Chairman Paul Atkins to intervene. “This morning, I asked SEC Chairman Paul Atkins to step in to immediately halt the delisting of our fund pending an investigation into this board for violating their fiduciary responsibility to our shareholders,” Fishback stated, according to Breitbart.
Reuters reported on October 16 that “The [trustee] board said in the filing it made the decision after ‘considering all relevant information, including without limitation recent litigation involving a principal of’ Azoria, wording that analysts said is highly unusual.”
Fishback has also reached out to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s staff for intervention. “Bessent doesn’t have statutory authority here [but] folks in the administration have a bully pulpit,” Fishback told Breitbart.
According to Breitbart News, “The Wall Street pushback comes amid growing evidence that C-Suite executives divert Americans’ jobs to Indian H-1B workers because stock investors assume the mixed-skill, indentured visa workers will raise profits and boost stock values, regardless of their vast damage to productivity, security, and quality.”
Fishback finds himself aligned with Trump and Vice President JD Vance on immigration restrictionism but potentially at odds with Musk, who has been among the most vocal defenders of H-1B visas within Trump’s circle.
The article quoted Nate Sass, a Wisconsin-based technology veteran who was replaced by an Indian team in February 2025, saying: “If you’re outsourcing all of your [Information Technology] to a third-party [run by Indians], Wall Street interprets it as cost savings. The stock price goes up, but the fact of the matter is, there are no actual cost savings because what comes out of India is of such poor quality that on the best day, it takes twice as long and just as much money to execute a project.”
From DOGE Insider to Independent Critic
Fishback’s journey from Trump insider to independent immigration critic has been marked by both collaboration and rupture. As the initial developer of the “DOGE checks” tool—a mechanism designed to track government efficiency—Fishback worked closely with Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency during its early stages.
However, as previously reported, Fishback stepped away from DOGE in June 2025 after Musk called for President Trump’s impeachment, publicly criticizing Musk for overstepping his role.
Now, Fishback finds himself aligned with Trump and Vice President JD Vance on immigration restrictionism but potentially at odds with Musk, who has been among the most vocal defenders of H-1B visas within Trump’s circle. During the H-1B controversy that erupted in late 2024, Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy defended high-skilled immigration, with Trump ultimately siding with them by stating “I have always liked the visas.”
The H-1B Debate Context
Fishback’s opposition comes amid heightened controversy over the H-1B program. Indian nationals account for approximately 74% of all H-1B visas issued between 2020 and 2023, making them by far the largest beneficiaries of the program.
The Trump administration’s decision to impose a $100,000 fee on new H-1B applications—up from approximately $2,000—has already dramatically impacted Indian workers and students who had planned careers in the United States. According to NBC News, applications to U.S. business schools have slumped this year as international students, worried about tighter visa restrictions, opted for schools closer to home.
The number of Indians arriving in America on student visas fell by 44.5% in August 2025 compared to the previous year, according to reports cited by Breitbart.
The Economic Arguments
Fishback and other H-1B critics argue that the program displaces American workers, particularly recent college graduates, by providing companies with what they characterize as cheaper, more compliant labor. They contend that claims about labor shortages are manufactured by companies seeking to avoid paying market wages to American workers.
Defenders of the program—including many tech company executives, economists, and immigration advocates—argue that H-1B workers fill genuine skill gaps, drive innovation, and that restricting the program would push American companies to offshore operations entirely, ultimately costing more American jobs.
Vice President Vance himself articulated a version of Fishback’s critique in March, telling an audience of investors that “globalization’s hunger for cheap labor is a problem precisely because it’s been bad for innovation.”
This story was aggregated by AI from several news reports and edited by American Kahani’s News Desk.