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Senator Eric Schmitt@SenEricSchmitt · Apr 10, 2026

Update in my fight to dismantle the broken OPT system—ICE just got me the numbers: In Missouri alone there are 4,430…

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Summary

A critic of the OPT (Optional Practical Training) visa program claims ICE data shows 4,430 OPT visas in Missouri alone, with many workers allegedly employed in positions unrelated to their fields of study, including restaurants and janitorial services. The thread argues OPT represents a broken system that undercuts American workers while employers receive tax subsidies and consulting firms profit from helping foreign students game the system.

Summarized by ThreadOut AI from the full thread. May miss nuance — read the thread below.

  1. #1

    Update in my fight to dismantle the broken OPT system—ICE just got me the numbers: In Missouri alone there are 4,430 OPT visas—many working in jobs that are out-of-scope, stealing opportunities from young Missourians. Here are some of the worst examples.🧵

  2. #2

    OPT jobs *must* be directly related to the student’s major area of study. And if you're a STEM major, you get *3-years of work authorization.* Not only that, OPT holders are exempt from FICA taxes—a >15% tax subsidy for employers.

  3. #3

    Given that, and considering foreigners utilizing OPT may be desperate for work, it should come as no surprise OPT is often abused. I found cases of foreign students working at restaurants, bars, and janitorial services that likely have no connection to a student’s area of study.

  4. #4

    Apparently necessary, degree-related, high skill employers include: - A local Ethiopian restaurant, which filed for a STEM OPT employee last year (three-years long). It's a highly reviewed restaurant but why does it need a recent grad STEM major? And why not hire American?

  5. #5

    Another OPT employee works for a small janitorial services company. That doesn't seem like a natural fit. OPT often undercuts White Collar work, but it's also undercutting Blue Collar workers by flooding the market with recent grads looking for any form of employment.

  6. #6

    Not only that, but a cadre of shady consultants and woke NGOs are cashing in on OPT, teaching foreign students how to game the system. And some are even using foreign student labor in-house to coach the importation of more foreign students and workers.

  7. #7

    For example, Vitendo4Africa filed for an OPT and runs programs that: - Offer classes on green card applications, refugee resettlement and US elections. - Help employers to solicit newly arrived refugees.

  8. #8

    Bottom line: OPT is not a student training program. It’s a backdoor jobs program for foreign nationals at the expense of Missouri families and American grads who are still struggling to find work. USCIS, it’s time to shut this down. Missourians first. Americans first.