As a foreign national residing in Portland, Maine, on an H-1B visa, I have strong opinions on the ongoing national debate that now finds itself derailed by xenophobia, racism and ignorance from both sides of the aisle. I was surprised to see this debate featured by the Press Herald in the context of Maine, but gladly welcome this opportunity to add my personal observations and thoughts, especially as a local.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has called highly skilled, advanced degree holders performing serious, generally handsomely compensated labor “low-wage indentured servants from abroad.” Ouch! He has also pointed out that these foreigners are not “best and the brightest” (Did I say ouch!?) and that we merely replace “good-paying American jobs” for cheap. Well, I have some statistics for Sen. Sanders and those who believe him.

According to the National Foundation for American Policy, a firm could spend between $3,900 and $18,150 in government fees and legal expenses for each H-1B worker petition. That is up to $18,150 more spent on a foreign worker than on a domestic worker. I highly doubt this is the ignominious corporate cost-savings we are told to hold H-1B sponsors responsible for.

Let us have a more direct look at whether H-1B visas simply replace well paid American positions with cheap indentured labor. According to a report compiled by Cato Institute based on data from the Department of Labor and USCIS, H-1B salaries are among the top 10% of all salaries in the Untied States. Wait. What? No. Seriously. What? Is busting perhaps the most pertinent myth in this whole debate this easy? It seems so. In FY2022, the median annual salary for H-1B workers was $118,000. Does this program still sound like indentured cheap labor, or might it be true that this is a well utilized labor intake program for highly skilled, bright, well-compensated workers?

I hold in my heart no more than the general, natural dislike for Sen. Sanders’ proposals, and so will move on to the other side of the political spectrum that has found an odd allyship in Sen. Sanders’ outbursts. Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist under President Trump, has introduced disproportionate drama into what could have been a healthy, logical debate on the H-1B visa program. In his posts on Gettr, he has taken unbridled license in spinning a work visa program into an existential question for the “spirit of American citizens.”

Bannon actually has a strict order to his plan, if it could be called one. It goes — eliminate the H-1B visa program, deport all H-1B visa holders immediately, hire American citizens to fill the newly vacant positions and convene tech companies to discuss reparations for American workers who had their futures stolen. Reparations to American workers for getting their futures stolen? Come on, Steve. As if this debate was wanting for drama, might I bring to your attention his reference to America beating the Nazis and the Bolsheviks to emphasize that Americans will not bend the knee to South Africa (Musk) in this war on the H-1B visa?

According to the American Immigration Council, higher rates of successful H-1B petitions have been found to be correlated with an increased number of patents filed and higher chances of investor funding and successful IPOs or acquisitions. It is not hard to understand how these factors create more jobs in the country, and, in many cases, advance research and development in critical fields such as medicine and engineering.

Nothing is more conducive to the spirit of America than competitive, meritorious work that is based on individual excellence fostered in a high-caliber environment. Combining the resources offered by the United States with the brightest minds from all over the world is a leap toward a stronger American society, and not a move to destroy the spirit of this country.

In my extensive personal experience with the program, I can attest to the complexity of the application process, the thoroughness of the investigation of the petitions, the burden upon applicants and sponsors to prove that the worker is highly specialized, and the monetary and non-monetary costs associated with this lengthy exercise.

My opinion is that it is extremely hard and constantly expensive to sponsor someone on an H-1B visa, and that most people opining on this topic are shockingly uninformed. While we should have healthy debates on issues such as immigration, arguments should rely on facts and logic rather than on baseless claims stemming from blind allegiance to imperfect ideologies.