Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered all state agencies and public universities to stop filing new H-1B visa petitions until at least May 31, 2027. The freeze aims to prioritize American workers and address alleged visa program abuses. Experts warn this could harm healthcare services, especially at major centers like the MD Anderson Cancer Center, which depends on H-1B visas to hire skilled doctors and researchers. Connor O’Brien, policy researcher at the Institute for Progress, said on X: "This ban covers the MD Anderson Cancer Center, arguably the best cancer hospital in the world. They hire top-notch doctors, specialists, and researchers using H-1B visas every year. Bowing to the mob here means hurting cancer patients in Texas and across America. Crazy." John Soriano, assistant professor at the University of Dallas, added on X: "This just totally screwed hiring at the cutting-edge research institutions in Texas, right in the middle of hiring season for new PhDs (the main users of H-1B). UT and A&M systems are world-class research centers, and this move hurts them. Online groypers first, Texas second." Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, global health expert, warned on X: "Freezing new H-1B visas in #Texas is short-sighted. We already face serious healthcare workforce shortages and struggle to meet patient demand. Public universities and health systems rely on H-1Bs to recruit physicians, nurses, scientists, and researchers. This will worsen staffing gaps, slow research, and harm patients—especially in underserved communities. This doesn’t protect Texans. It weakens Texas healthcare." The H-1B visa program allows US employers to hire foreign skilled professionals in fields like medicine and science. Many Texas public universities and hospitals rely on this program to fill critical roles. According to the American Hospital Association, about 26% of clinicians in US hospitals are non-citizen immigrants, many on visa types such as H-1B. With the freeze, Texas hospitals may struggle to fill key positions in emergency medicine, internal medicine, anesthesia, and more. While current H-1B workers in Texas are not affected, future hiring will be restricted. Experts caution that the policy could increase costs, strain staff, and reduce the quality of healthcare. Texas State Rep. Ramon Romero Jr. responded: "Freezing these pathways makes it harder to staff classrooms, research centres, and hospitals, raising costs, straining public services, and hurting Texans."