A group of 20 Democratic states sue Trump over $100,000 fee for H-1B visas

A group of 20 Democratic states have sued Donald Trump for setting the fee for H-1B visas at $100,000. The coalition, led by California, asserts that the president's action was illegal, given that it exceeds the limits authorized by Congress and the authority granted to the Executive Branch under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).

The measure announced by Trump in September affected all applications filed after Sept. 21, giving Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem complete discretion to decide which applications are subject to the new fee and which are not.

Rob Bonta, California's attorney general, asserted that Trump's move was "raising costs on a whim."

"As the world’s fourth largest economy, California knows that when skilled talent from around the world joins our workforce, it drives our state forward. President Trump’s illegal $100,000 H-1B visa fee creates unnecessary — and illegal — financial burdens on California public employers and other providers of vital services, exacerbating labor shortages in key sectors," Bonta said in a statement.

"The Trump Administration thinks it can raise costs on a whim, but the law says otherwise. We are going to court to defend California’s residents and their access to the world-class universities, schools, and hospitals that make Californians proud to call this state home," he added.

The Democratic states' lawsuit was filed in federal court in Massachusetts. The other visible face of the lawsuit is Joy Campbell, attorney general of Massachusetts.