‘One H-1B worker equals 10 illegal aliens, send Indian techies back’, says US pollster, slams Trump admin

Senior H1B developers at tech firms like Apple are “economically the same as 10 undocumented workers,” alleged US pollster and political commentator Mark Mitchell, and claimed Americans were replaced by foreign workers because they are cheaper compared to American workers. Mitchell further claimed that sending back a senior H-1B developer at a top tech firm was economically the same as deporting 10 undocumented workers. “Silicon Valley’s workforce is two-thirds foreign-born, whole buildings, 85–95% are Indian nationals,” said Mitchell, the CEO of Rasmussen Reports, one of America’s top polling companies. Mitchell went on to even call them “third-world engineers”.

Foreign-born workers make up two-thirds of Silicon Valley’s workforce, with some locations, including Walmarts, employing 85–95% Indian nationals, he claimed.

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Slams Trump admin for not sending back H-1B visa holders

Mitchell made the remarks while appearing on a programme of Steve Bannon, who is a former adviser to President Donald Trump and a MAGA voice.

During the show, named War Room with Steve Bannon, Mitchell targeted Indian tech workers and the H-1B programme and slammed the Trump administration for not sending back H-1B visa holders.

“Every single H-1B, you know, senior developer at Apple that we send back, that’s the equivalent economically probably of deporting 10 illegal aliens. So I don’t know why we didn’t do that yesterday. And the idea, yes, a lot of these people are entry-level, but a lot of them are making a tonne of money,” he said.

He added that the tech companies in Silicon Valley depend heavily on immigrant labour for a lower-cost workforce and do not hire American workers.

Mitchell said an H1B developer earning around $90,000 a year is equivalent to 10 undocumented workers each earning $9 an hour.

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‘Third-world engineers’ replace American workers: Mitchell

He said ‘third-world engineers’ could easily replace American workers, as Americans have to take care of their families and health insurance is more expensive.

“I think a lot of it is used for ageism because you have a bottomless well of younger third-world engineers. You know, people like me who have a family who are a little more expensive may have gotten a few raises. My health insurance is a little more expensive,” he said.

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Recent data indicates that foreign-born professionals hold roughly 66% of tech jobs in Silicon Valley, and of those, 23% are Indian nationals and 18% Chinese, said a The Times of India report, citing a 2025 industry index.