India, Aug. 28 -- A senior Justice Department official has signaled that the Trump administration is stepping up scrutiny of employers accused of bypassing qualified American workers in favor of foreign labor, with potential enforcement attention extending across the H-1B, Optional Practical Training (OPT), PERM and J-1 visa programs.

Harmeet K. Dhillon, the assistant attorney general leading the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, said in a post on X that federal employment laws require a "level playing field" for American workers and foreign nationals.

Dhillon alleged that some technology and other companies were using visa programs to hire "cheaper/exploitable foreign workers" for jobs that could be filled by Americans.

She ...