The US Department of Labour is launching a visa fraud strike team to investigate alleged financial crimes and pursue 16 fugitives linked to suspected theft totalling hundreds of millions of dollars. The move comes as the Trump administration intensifies scrutiny of foreign-worker programmes, including H-1B visas and employer-sponsored immigration.

Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito announced the initiative on October 8. He said the team would bring together investigators from across government to trace financial transactions, uncover alleged fraud schemes and work with the Justice Department to prosecute those responsible. The effort will run alongside Vice President JD Vance’s White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.

In a post on X, D’Esposito said the Labour Inspector General’s most-wanted list would feature 16 fugitives linked to $250 million in stolen funds. However, his remarks put the amount associated with the individuals at nearly $500 million. The announcement did not explain the discrepancy.

“We will follow the money, uncover the schemes, and work with Attorney General Todd Blanche to prosecute criminals,” D’Esposito said.

The announcement did not detail the allegations against the 16 fugitives or establish whether every case involved immigration or employment-visa fraud. D’Esposito warned that authorities would work with law enforcement partners to locate the suspects, regardless of where they were hiding.

He also cited the broader White House fraud task force’s enforcement record. Since its establishment, investigations have contributed to 171 indictments, 203 convictions, 80 arrests and more than 70 search warrants, he said.

The task force has also identified more than $1 billion for taxpayers, according to D’Esposito. The announcement did not provide a detailed breakdown of the amount or specify how much authorities had recovered. These figures relate to the wider task force’s work, not exclusively to the new visa fraud team.

The announcement follows a separate administration action targeting employment-based green card sponsorship. Microsoft and several other technology companies have been suspended from the Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) programme, a key step in many employer-sponsored green card applications.

The affected companies include Indian IT services firms Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Wipro and HCL Technologies. Cognizant, Adobe and Capgemini are also among those named.

Vance accused Microsoft of laying off thousands of American workers while continuing to rely heavily on foreign workers. The administration said the suspensions aim to address alleged misuse of employment-based immigration programmes and prioritise American workers.

US Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling said the department would not accept new PERM applications from the affected companies or process their pending applications, according to the report.

The suspension targets the green card labour certification process. It does not automatically cancel H-1B visas held by employees of the affected companies.

The visa fraud strike team announcement also does not establish any connection between the 16 fugitives and the companies facing PERM restrictions. The two actions are separate developments within the administration’s broader immigration and fraud enforcement efforts.