Political commentator and Rasmussen Reports’ chief pollster, Mark Mitchell, has sparked controversy after calling on American companies to “de-Indianize” their workforce. In a recent post on social media, Mitchell announced plans to launch a consultancy aimed at reducing the presence of Indian professionals in U.S. tech firms. His comments followed a segment on Steve Bannon’s War Room, where he criticized the tech industry’s reliance on engineers from India and China through the H-1B visa system.
Mitchell claimed that companies are replacing American workers with lower-paid H-1B visa holders, citing that positions paying U.S. engineers about $150,000 are often filled by foreign workers at nearly half the cost. He also alleged that American employees are sometimes required to train their foreign replacements before being let go.
He further escalated his remarks by directly criticizing tech leaders, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, posting an aggressive message pushing for the termination of H-1B workers.
Despite these claims, data shows a different reality. H-1B visa holders make up just 0.3% to 0.4% of the U.S. labor force of 163 million. While Silicon Valley has a significant international presence—with 23% of the workforce being Indian and 18% Chinese—the total number of H-1B workers remains a small fraction.
Mitchell likened the hiring of an Indian H-1B engineer earning $90,000 to bringing in “ten undocumented workers” making $9 an hour, comparing skilled tech labor to low-wage fieldwork. His comments have ignited a broader debate around immigration, job displacement, and the value of global talent in America’s technology sector.
