(José Niño, Headline USA) Qualified non-profit organizations are allowed to bypass restrictions on hiring foreign workers. Research suggests that scientific groups are exploiting this loophole at the expense of the American labor force.
Activist and U.S. Senate candidate Virgil Bierschwale has spotlighted one such non-profit, Battelle Memorial Institute, for allegedly engaging in this practice. According to Biershwale, Battelle is channeling taxpayer resources away from domestic labor and into the hands of imported specialists by leveraging the federal visa system.
Battelle, based in Columbus, is among the nation’s largest non-profit research operations. It manages a constellation of high-security energy and biomedical labs across the United States, from Tennessee’s Oak Ridge to the CDC’s biological repository in Maryland.
Bierschwale observed that Battelle enjoys numerous privileges owing to its non-profit status. He noted, “Despite running massive publicly funded operations, Battelle pays zero federal taxes. Its CEO, Lou Von Thaer, earned $2.45 million last year. Other top execs make $1.1–$1.8 million per year.”
By leveraging its non-profit status, Battelle is able to bypass annual H-1B visa caps that restrict for-profit employers, opening a pipeline for foreign talent to staff labs funded almost entirely by public money.
Republicans Have Their Own USAID Laundromat
Everyone knows Democrats funnel money through foreign NGOs and USAID scams. But Republicans have their own lab-based version—it’s called Battelle Memorial Institute.
Battelle is a nonprofit based in Columbus, Ohio, but it operates… pic.twitter.com/uO1j9yu7pa
— Virgil Bierschwale (@VBierschwale) July 18, 2025
Recent data shows Battelle filed 79 labor condition applications for H-1B positions in 2025 alone, offering median salaries of around $112,000. Battelle didn’t respond to this publication’s media inquiry about the matter.
Bierschwale’s focus on Battelle also placed the spotlight on prominent politicians, such as Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who projects a tough stance on illegal immigration.
The activist observed that “Ohio is now the Midwest’s H-1B capital, not because of Big Tech, but because of Battelle and its federal contract empire.”
He added that “Jim Jordan promotes Battelle. He pushes R&D expansion, praises their lab control, and plays ‘America First’ on TV—while backing the single largest H-1B pass-through nonprofit in the U.S.”
The candidate for Texas’ U.S. senate seat detailed how this alleged scam works:
• Battelle job postings openly advertise “visa sponsorship available”
• Over 90% of their revenue comes from federal contracts
• They’re exempt from federal income tax
• Their labs span the entire country
• They cut out American researchers and import cheaper visa labor
• In return, they fund friendly politicians and quietly keep the machine running
As Headline USA previously reported, Jordan has a penchant for taking hard public stances against illegal immigration. But when it comes to legal immigration, Jordan is willing to play ball with the political establishment to expand legal immigration.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
