Abbott Moves to Block Foreign Influence in Texas Classrooms, Restrict H-1B School Workers

On Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott unveiled an initiative aimed at eliminating foreign influence in Texas K-12 education.

“Our obligation is to educate students on how and why 13 colonies were able to come together, form a union, and go on to be the most successful and greatest country in history. … Those standards of what we are teaching our children, they’re being compromised by foreign influence,” Abbott said. “We cannot condone the quiet indoctrination of our children in the classroom.” 

Abbott’s plan includes removing foreign government influence from Texas public schools and prohibiting schools from employing through the H-1B visa program, which he says would open more job opportunities for Texans. 

According to Abbott, the initiative builds on his earlier directive freezing state agencies and universities from applying for new H-1B visa petitions, with the goal of ensuring employment opportunities are offered to Texans first. 

Under Abbott’s plan, foreign entities would be prohibited from using gifts, partnerships, or other financial agreements to gain influence over Texas schools and what students are taught in classrooms. 

Instances of foreign influence have been documented, particularly in the Austin Independent School District, where Qatar Foundation International gave the district a total of $462,000 to support Arabic language and culture instruction from 2016 to 2022, according to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. 

According to records obtained by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Qatar Foundation International paid for Arabic instructors at Austin High School and Burnet Middle School, along with curricular materials and instructional resources. The group also found that materials used by Austin ISD included textbooks and workbooks from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Egypt and Qatar. 

The foundation reported a similar situation in Houston ISD, where “Qatari influence went beyond hiring teachers and providing learning materials as funding went to the Arabic Language and Culture program at the Arabic Immersion Magnet School.” 

Former Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier also signed off on a grant agreement with Qatar Foundation International in 2015 that allowed its staff and consultants to observe classroom instruction. 

However, Abbott’s initiative goes beyond restricting foreign money from entering public schools. His plan also would prohibit public schools from employing workers through the H-1B visa program. 

In 2025, Dallas ISD alone received 230 H-1B approvals, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The district says that it uses the H-1B visa program to fill positions including elementary bilingual (English/Spanish) and special education teachers. 

Abbott is calling on the Legislature to pass legislation that will put a total ban on H-1B workers in Texas public schools, with Abbott declaring that “exactly zero Texas public school employees should be here on H-1B visas.” 

Abbott concluded his opening comments by emphasizing that foreign influence should have no impact on Texas schools or students. 

“Bottom line is, foreign influence of any kind has no place in our classrooms. We will achieve that goal,” Abbott said.