Trump Demands Answers After New York Hospital Hires 80 Foreign Doctors

The Numbers Behind the Demand

A New York hospital faces demands for explanations from the Trump administration regarding a viral assertion that 82 residency spots saw 80 awarded to foreign physicians. U.S. Department of Labor Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito demanded Sunday that Rochester Regional Health provide a breakdown of its residency hires. He requested the facility reveal precise figures on visa holder slots and the number of fair opportunities granted to American candidates.

D’Esposito stated that President Donald Trump’s executive order puts visa abuse under the microscope. Should the system prove manipulated, his team will collaborate with Vice President JD Vance’s White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud to bring it to light.

The claim has not been independently verified by other outlets yet. Yet data from the hospital system indicates a heavy reliance on foreign personnel for these essential positions.

What the Data Shows

Ellis, a source compiling Department of Labor disclosure records, notes that Rochester General Hospital submitted 95 H-1B Labor Condition Applications in 2025. This identical database records 421 H-1B filings encompassing 634 roles starting from 2016. These filings include positions classified as “Medical Resident Physician” and “Medical Fellow Physician.”

The American Medical Association’s FREIDA database lists 72 residents in the hospital’s Internal Medicine residency program. This program explicitly lists J-1 visa sponsorship for international physicians. The institution’s dependence on non-domestic workers reaches beyond the medical doctors as well.

WXXI reported in January that approximately 150 international nurses moved to Rochester via the health system’s recruitment initiative. Another 80 nurses were waiting for visas at that time. RRH officials characterized the recruitment of international nurses as a vital component of the health system’s workforce strategy.

I hold that this pattern directly damages American families who face constant obstruction from our antiquated residency match program in becoming doctors. Detractors contend the medical system is structurally engineered to favor foreign labor while harming Americans. When local graduates cannot find training slots, the cost of care rises for everyone in town.

The Daily Wire reported that the hospital has not yet responded to requests for a full breakdown of its residency classes. This silence leaves too many questions open for the families relying on these hospitals.

There are ways to fix this without undoing the progress Trump’s own administration set in motion in 2019.

The Path Forward

The Inspector General has set a clear expectation for transparency. If the system is being gamed, the White House Task Force is ready to step in.