WHEREAS, the Optional Practical Training (OPT) authorization allows an uncapped number of foreign students to continue working in the United States after college, circumventing limits on foreign worker visas like the H-1B; and
WHEREAS, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) SEVIS by the Numbers report, as of 2024 approximately 290,000 foreign nationals are working in the United States under OPT and STEM OPT authorizations, competing directly with recent American graduates for employment opportunities; and
WHEREAS, individuals on OPT are exempt from FICA taxes, creating an incentive for employers to hire foreign graduates on OPT authorization instead of Americans; and
WHEREAS, according to the Cengage Group 2025 Graduate Employability Report, only 30% of 2025 college graduates found full time jobs in their field; and
WHEREAS, the OPT program was not created by our representatives in Congress, but by regulation under the Department of Homeland Security.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Young Republicans of Texas call upon President Trump and the Department of Homeland Security to rescind the regulatory authorization for the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program to protect job opportunities for American graduates.