Expect Trump to roll back habitually 'defrauded' immigration program, expert says

"It is not being used as was intended by Congress, so it needs to be reformed," said Lora Ries, the director of the Heritage Foundation's Border Security and Immigration Center, regarding the H-1B visa program in an interview with Fox News Digital.

One key area Trump is likely to once again focus on as he re-enters the Oval Office is the country's immigration system, an issue that became a centerpiece of both of his campaigns for the nation's highest office.

One such reform is likely to be the H-1B visa program, Ries argued, noting that it has long fallen victim to fraud and abuse.

"Like so many programs, it has gone away from intent and been watered down and defrauded," Ries said.

Trump attempted to tackle the issue during his previous term in office, introducing several reforms in the hopes of eliminating that fraud and ensuring that the program was not harmful to American workers.

Implementing stricter definitions of what is a "specialty occupation" and making it more difficult to obtain H-1B visas for those who do not meet those requirements was one such reform made by Trump, while the president-elect also sought to enforce stricter minimum wage requirements for H-1B holders.

Trump has in the past struck a similar tone when discussing the program, including a vow to commit to "eliminating rampant, widespread H-1B abuse and ending the outrageous practices such as those that occurred at Disney in Florida when Americans were forced to train their foreign replacements" on the campaign trail in 2016.

"Protecting American workers and not replacing them with foreign workers just because you can pay less money, Ries said.