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The H1B program is very clearly NOT meant to be a mechanism for importing workers to swap directly into existing jobs at lower pay. This is the crucial point of the article and of Disney's wrongdoing.

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From where I'm sitting, having worked with someone here on an H1-B visa in 2001 at Lucent who was more qualified for the job than I who was paid $45K to my $80K, as someone who has acquaintances at e.g. HP who were laid off along with a bunch of other older employees, who then found HP advertising for an H1-B replacement for his job, I'd say it's very clear that this is exactly one of the things the mechanism is intended for, given the number of visas issued each year and the constant proposals to drastically increase them. It's telling that Ted Cruz, the best for reducing immigration Republican candidate for President in the 2016 election, wants to increase H1-Bs to 300K a year (everyone else in both parties wants to open the floodgates to all).

> I'd say it's very clear that this is exactly one of the things the mechanism is intended for

Actually, no. The fundamental requirement of the H1B program is that workers be paid the prevailing wage. The only way that's possible is for replacement workers to be paid the same as those they replaced, which isn't what happens.

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