Ask HN: Why does no one talk about the H-1B problem? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Why does no one talk about the H-1B problem?

#11

Post by vunderba » Thu, Feb 12, 2026, 6:44 PM UTC

OGEnthusiast wrote: post #9

JohnFen wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The backlash against ICE isn't primarily about deportations. It's about ICE engaging in murder, cruelty, unnecessary violence, torture, racism, and the like towards everyone, citizen or otherwise.

There’s really no other way to do mass deportations though.

Obama seemed to manage it (around 3 million people) without high-profile incidents of American citizens being killed in the streets by ICE like Renée Good and Alex Pretti.

Admittedly while a non-significant number of those deportees were turned away at the border itself, another key difference is that Obama didn't hire record numbers of barely qualified (40-50 days worth of training) people and then send them to occupy American cities.

Re: Ask HN: Why does no one talk about the H-1B problem?

#12

Post by gusmally » Thu, Feb 12, 2026, 7:15 PM UTC

I don't have a macro-level answer for you but an interesting anecdote: we opened a job for a Software Designer and looked at the first 9 applicants. All of them were in need of H-1B sponsorship, most were Indian, and most were "software-engineers-turned-designers". So at a micro (company) level, we hire immigrants because those are the candidates we receive.

Note: One of my parents is an Indian immigrant. I have worked with many great Indian engineers and many not-so-great, just like every other nationality.

Re: Ask HN: Why does no one talk about the H-1B problem?

#13

Post by valianteffort » Thu, Feb 12, 2026, 9:44 PM UTC

vunderba wrote: post #11

OGEnthusiast wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There’s really no other way to do mass deportations though.

Obama seemed to manage it (around 3 million people) without high-profile incidents of American citizens being killed in the streets by ICE like Renée Good and Alex Pretti. Admittedly while a non-significant number of those deportees were turned away at the border itself, another key difference is that Obama didn't hire record numbers of barely qualified (40-50 days worth of training) people and then send them to occu…

> Obama seemed to manage it (around 3 million people)

It is well known that the Obama administration counted turning around people at the border as a "deportation".

> Obama didn't hire record numbers of barely qualified (40-50 days worth of training) people and then send them to occupy American cities

The only cuts from the surge hire training were spanish language and some driving courses, spanish alone consumed 12-weeks. None of the other training material was reduced. In the cases of Good and Pretti, neither agent was a surge hire. This is nonsense rhetoric attempting to delegitimize ICE agents performing lawful duties.

Re: Ask HN: Why does no one talk about the H-1B problem?

#14

Post by valianteffort » Thu, Feb 12, 2026, 9:46 PM UTC

gusmally wrote: post #12

I don't have a macro-level answer for you but an interesting anecdote: we opened a job for a Software Designer and looked at the first 9 applicants. All of them were in need of H-1B sponsorship, most were Indian, and most were "software-engineers-turned-designers". So at a micro (company) level, we hire immigrants because those are the candidates we receive. Note: One of my parents is an Indian immigrant. I have work…

> One of my parents is an Indian immigrant. I have worked with many great Indian engineers and many not-so-great, just like every other nationality.

This kind of blatant, wholesale dismissal is part of the problem. It's not "just like every other nationality". It is overwhelmingly indian nationals abusing the system. Why would we spread the blame to nigerians, or hungarians for what is an indian issue?