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US: Republicans in Congress are calling on the White House to end the Optional Practical Training program, claiming that the long-standing work permit option for international students was never authorized by Congress and has developed into an uncontrolled and expensive bureaucracy.

The congressmen said that the student employment program has become “dangerously unauthorized, abused, and costly to the American taxpayer” in a letter dated December 4 to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller. They argued that OPT “has never been riper for repeal.”

A copy of the letter, which was signed by thirteen Republican legislators, was made public on Monday.

Established by legislation in 1992, the OPT program permits foreign students on F-1 visas to work in the United States for a maximum of three years after the completion of their studies, with a focus on science and technology. The program “circumvents the H-1B visa cap,” according to the lawmakers, who also said it allows employers to hire foreign graduates at “cheaper wages,” thus “putting American students last.”

The letter said, “Luckily, OPT was created by a pen and can be terminated by the President’s pen.” Any modification that does not completely terminate the program might “inadvertently codify the program, like the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA),” the congressmen warned the administration.

According to federal immigration statistics, “194,554 foreign students obtained work authorization through OPT…” and “95,384 foreign students through STEM OPT” in 2024. The organization also said that “the greatest number of these students” came from China and India. Additionally, they cited Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s recognition that “the total number of foreign students working at any point during the year may exceed the number of employment authorizations issued each year.”

The senators referred to OPT as “the largest unregulated guest worker scheme in the United States,” claiming that although smaller domestic companies “are among those hit the hardest by OPT’s fleecing of payroll taxes,” bigger enterprises and colleges profit from recruiting foreign graduates.

They cautioned that participants in the program had access to sensitive fields such as “missile and space systems,” “defense research and development,” “telecommunications,” and “semiconductor engineering.” The legislators said that ICE “has not assessed OPT’s vulnerability to Chinese espionage,” citing a government audit from 2022.

Citing an estimate that the program costs trust funds “$4 billion annually,” they further said that OPT “fleeces taxpayers” since members are exempt from Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes.

“Simply put, OPT strips opportunities from American students,” the congressmen wrote, asking the administration to cancel the program “so Congress can put an end to this tragedy once and for all.”