A problem with the H1-B visa program is the abuse of firms such as Disney in FL, Southern California Edison, and Abbott Pharmaceuticals that have used H1-B workers to replace Americans at lower cost. In fact, even the Clinton Foundation has hired (or attempted to hire) H1-B instead of Americans.

The H1-B is supposed to be used only in the case that an American can't be found to do the job. Americans can do IT. Other firms hire H1-B workers to save money using foreigners in place of Americans. Thus the hostility towards H1-B. I think it is highly unlikely that there are even 30,000 jobs per year where American where there is no American to do the job. Some obscure areas of science, for example. In many cases the Americans could be trained to do the specific job.

My great grandparents came over and started a company but I don't recall knowing that they got any preferential treatment coning to this country.