Ken Paxton launches crackdown on H-1B fraud in Texas after exposé by BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton credited BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales on Wednesday with getting the ball rolling on a new and "wide-sweeping investigation into abuse of the H-1B visa program by Texas businesses."

Standing outside a seemingly vacant single-family home in Irving — the supposed office of 3Bees Technologies Inc., one of the companies Gonzales scrutinized in a damning report on possible H-1B fraud earlier this month — Paxton told the BlazeTV host, "Thanks to you, we're here today."

'It's not our first rodeo, and we'll definitely find out what's going on.'

"We've started an investigation into three different companies that we think might be scamming people with these H-1B visas," said Paxton.

"Thanks to you, we've sent them questionnaires," continued Paxton. "They're called Civil Investigative Demands, and they're designed to find out what the truth is, what is actually happening, what are their actual practices. Are they defrauding consumers? Are they misguiding people as to what they're actually doing?"

Paxton has ordered the companies to provide documents identifying all of their employees, records detailing the specific products or services they provide, financial statements, and communications pertaining to company operations.

Although the Texas Attorney General's Office is currently looking at three businesses in North Texas, Paxton indicated that is the start of a much larger investigation.

'Abuse and fraud within these programs strip jobs and opportunities away from Texans.'

The Texas attorney general expressed confidence that potential fraudsters will be flushed out, telling Gonzales, "It's not our first rodeo, and we will definitely find out what's going on."

"Any criminal who attempts to scam the H-1B visa program and use 'ghost offices' or other fraudulent ploys should be prepared to face the full force of the law," Paxton said in a statement.

RELATED: 'Where are all the workers?' BlazeTV's Sara Gonzales exposes potential H-1B visa fraud in Texas

Photo (left): BlazeTV; Photo (right): Brandon Bell/Getty Images

"Abuse and fraud within these programs strip jobs and opportunities away from Texans. I will use every tool available to uproot and hold accountable any individual or company engaged in these fraudulent schemes," added the Texas attorney general.

Gonzales' exposé evidently also captured the attention of Gov. Greg Abbott (R).

Citing "recent reports of abuse in the federal H-1B visa program" and the "federal government's ongoing review of that program to ensure American jobs are going to American workers," Abbott directed all state agencies on Tuesday to "immediately freeze" new H-1B visa petitions.

In addition to pumping the brakes on new H-1B visas, Abbott demanded that public universities and various state agencies provide an account of how many H-1B visa holders they are currently sponsoring; the countries of origin of their sponsored H-1B visa holders; the expected expiration date for each sponsored visa; and the efforts taken to ensure that Texan candidates were afforded a reasonable opportunity to apply for each position filled by an H-1B visa holder.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' H-1B Employer Data Hub indicates that over 41,500 H-1B visa beneficiaries were approved for fiscal year 2025 in Texas.

Qubitz Tech Systems, one of the companies Gonzales scrutinized in her report, had 12 H-1B beneficiaries approved last year. The company, whose visa job contact is Hari Madiraju, has apparently been hiring "software developers" from abroad for years.

When Gonzales went to the address listed for Qubitz in Frisco, Texas — a four-bedroom house in a residential neighborhood — she was greeted by a man responding to "Hari" who was clearly not happy to see her.

At the mention of Qubitz and its supposed employees, Hari called the police, which Gonzales welcomed.

Gonzales later paid a visit to Qubitz's supposed worksite. Instead of finding a dozen or more workers engaged in the kind of software development that supposedly requires foreign talent, she found a vacant prison-cell-sized room with a single chair and some folding tables.

"Pretty cramped working quarters for 12 H-1B workers," said Gonzales. "I'm not buying it."

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