USA28 September, 20262 min read
US Labor Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito Demands Data From Rochester General Hospital Over H-1B Claim
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DOL inspector general sought data from Rochester General Hospital on internal medicine residency hires. Viral post claims 80 of 82 residents were foreign workers on H-1B/J-1 visas.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Watchdog Seeks Hospital Data
US Labor Department inspector general Anthony D’Esposito demanded data from Rochester General Hospital after a social-media claim alleged that 80 of 82 resident doctors hired by the hospital were foreign workers on H-1B or J-1 visas, with only two Americans. D’Esposito raised the issue in a September 28 post on X, writing, “Show us the numbers,” and asking Rochester Regional Health how many residency positions went to H-1B and J-1 visa holders and “how many American applicants got a fair shot.”
The viral allegation said the hospital hired 82 resident doctors, of whom 80 were H-1B or J-1 visa holders and only two were Americans, but the figure was not independently verified in the information available for the report. The dispute also came as the Trump administration extended restrictions on certain H-1B workers for another year, keeping measures in place through September 21, 2027, and requiring a $100,000 payment for certain H-1B workers outside the US unless exceptions applied.
Hospital Hiring, Visa Claims
A social-media post claimed “98% of the residency slots went to visa workers- mostly from countries with documented USMLE cheating,” and it asserted that “Americans got 2 jobs,” while Rochester General Hospital had not yet commented on the allegation.
Anthony D’Esposito told the hospital, “Show us the numbers. How many residency slots went to H‑1B and J‑1 visa holders? How many American applicants got a fair shot?,” and he said an executive order concerning visa abuse had put the issue “under the microscope.”
Rochester Regional Health’s publicly available residency information did not independently substantiate the 82-position figure or the claimed breakdown by visa status, and the hospital’s roster identified medical-school backgrounds without identifying each resident’s immigration or visa status.
The American Bazaar said the program’s official page states it accepts international medical graduates and sponsors J-1 visas, and it said the positions are filled through the National Resident Matching Program.
Political Push and Next Steps
New York state Sen. Jeremy Cooney criticized the claims as “racist and ridiculous,” while pointing to what he described as a shortage of health care providers.
“The key question is whether the hospital’s records support the viral claim.”
Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt argued that the U.S. medical system and other labor markets can disadvantage Americans in favor of foreign workers, and his office has previously called for greater scrutiny of H-1B and other employment-related immigration programs.
The American Bazaar said the public roster identifies medical-school backgrounds but does not provide visa information, and it said that a medical school outside the United States does not, by itself, establish that a resident is currently in the country on an H-1B or J-1 visa.
Trak.in said the key question was whether the hospital’s records support the viral claim, and it said the Labor Department’s inspector general was seeking information from Rochester Regional Health to clarify the number of residents on H-1B and J-1 visas and the background of the remaining hires.