Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., says H1-B visas are being "abused" in the U.S. and argues that many American workers are being forced to "train their replacements."

Schmitt made the comments on Fox News Sunday with host Shannon Bream, cutting against a push for more migrant workers from Elon Musk.

"I think there's an important, thoughtful debate that's happening. But the context that we need to, I think, keep in mind here is that American workers have been left behind by this economy. Many factory jobs have been sent overseas," Schmittt said. 

"I think the abuses of the H-1B program have been evident, where you have sort of the sons and daughters of those factory workers who lost their jobs, got white collar jobs as accountants, and they're, you know, training their replacements, the foreign workers who are undercutting their wages," he continued.

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"So I think the solution here President Trump has actually articulated in 2020 is to reform that system and, you know, get rid of the abuses, make it merit-based and make sure that we're not undercutting wages and having, you know, Americans train their foreign replacements," he added.

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Schmitt went on to argue that the U.S. needs to "invest" more in Americans workers, as well as defend President Trump's plans for deportations.

"The idea of deporting people who are here illegally is not a new concept. In fact, the policy in the law of the United States of America, since, you know, for 200 years, is if you come here illegally, you are detained. If you don't have a valid reason, like asylum. And by the way, nine out of ten asylum claims are bogus. Then you are deported," Schmitt said.

He stated that it has "only been in the last four years" that Democrats in control of the federal government have refused to enforce existing laws.

Musk and DOGE counterpart Vivek Ramaswamy ignited an intra-MAGA battle with their proposals to increase immigration visas for high-skill workers last week.

Ramaswamy argued on social media that American culture has glorified "mediocrity" for decades and that importing skilled labor from other countries is the solution.

Trump restricted access to foreign worker visas during his first administration and has critiqued the H-1B visas program, which allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations.  

Multiple Missouri lawmakers are reportedly preparing legislation to name several highways after President-elect Trump in the new year.

The most expansive reported bill would bestow Trump's name on carriageways of the Missouri state highway system not yet designated otherwise before next August, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

That bill, from state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, however, exempts roadways in counties encompassing St. Louis, Columbia and Kansas City, the paper reported.

Coleman previously floated a bill to rename a portion of Interstate 55 in her district the "Donald J. Trump Highway" in 2021, but the effort failed in the Republican-majority legislature.

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Under both the defunct and current proposals, MoDOT would erect and maintain the commemorative signage, but private donations would foot the bill for the signs.

A separate proposal from state Sen. Nick Schroer, R-St. Charles, would designate a portion of MO Route D west of St. Louis the "President Donald J. Trump Highway."

"It’s time to Make Missouri Roads Great Again," Schroer said in a social media post announcing his bill.

The post included an inset of Trump doing his viral "Y.M.C.A." dance on the shoulder of a freeway beside a "President Donald J. Trump Highway" sign.

Attempts to reach both Schroer and Coleman for further comment were unsuccessful.

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Fox News Digital also reached out to Missouri Senate President Pro-Tempore Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia.

In announcing her 2021 bill, Coleman said Trump deserved the honor for "strengthening Missouri’s economy, defending our values, and making America great again during his historic first term."

Missouri lawmakers have also tried to commemorate other national conservatives, including the late radio host Rush Limbaugh – who was born and raised in Cape Girardeau.

Language to commemorate Jan. 12 as "Rush Limbaugh Day" did not make it to the final text of a 2021 designations bill, according to the Columbia Missourian.

Trump’s name has made it onto a handful of highways outside the Show-Me State, including in some politically-unfriendly areas.

In 2019, a man "adopted" portions of Burke Lake Road and Fairfax County Rte. 620 in the deep-blue Washington, D.C., suburb of Springfield, Virginia, in Trump’s name.

The man also successfully had the incoming president’s name festooned on VDOT adopt-a-highway signage on heavily-trafficked Ox Road in nearby Lorton, according to the Washingtonian.

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In 2021, Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed legislation designating a 20-mile stretch of U.S. 287 in the state’s panhandle after Trump.

Meanwhile, Hialeah, Florida, Mayor Esteban Bovo joined Trump at a 2023 rally in the Miami suburb and offered him a commemorative sign after an avenue near a casino in the city was renamed Donald J. Trump Avenue.

In Trump’s home state, a controversial 430-acre tract of parkland also bears his name. Donald J. Trump State Park in Putnam Valley came into being in 2006 after he donated the parcel to New York state.

After Trump was unable to successfully develop a golf course on the site due to town permit roadblocks and the like, he passed the land on to Albany after originally purchasing it in two pieces in 1998 for about $2.5 million.

Donald J. Trump State Park soon fell into disrepair and remains largely unmaintained. New York Democrats have attempted to pass legislation stripping Trump’s name from the park, including a 2019 bid to rename it after the woman killed during the 2017 Charlottesville riot.

After Trump’s May conviction in his hush-money trial, New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal told The New York Times he hopes it "primes the pump" to restart talks to rename the park.

Hoylman-Sigal, a Democrat, indicated he has visited the park and has seen "some improvements" since Trump gifted it to the Pataki administration.

An incoming Missouri state lawmaker introduced a bill to provide $1,000 to people who report illegal migrants to authorities.

Republican state Sen.-elect David Gregory proposed a measure that would offer $1,000 to any person who turned in an illegal migrant who is subsequently arrested.

SB 72 would allow the state's Department of Public Safety to "develop an information system for people to report violations of this act which shall include a toll-free telephone hotline, e-mail and online reporting portal."

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The bill would also create the "Missouri Illegal Alien Certified Bounty Hunter Program" which would allow local citizens to serve as bounty hunters "for the purpose of finding and detaining illegal aliens" in the state.

Only bail bond agents and surety recovery agents may apply to the program to serve as bounty hunters.

The proposal would also make it a felony for anyone to be in the state as an illegal migrant.

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"As I ran for State Senate, I promised to make Missouri a national leader in combating illegal immigration," Gregory said in a post on the social media platform X.

"Now, I'm following through with my promise. SB 72 makes it a felony to be here illegally and the bill will finally allow Missouri law enforcement to find and arrest illegal immigrants," he continued. "We need all hands on deck to ensure we catch illegal immigrants BEFORE they commit violent crimes."

President-elect Trump has promised mass deportations in his second administration.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said a state law requiring a photo ID to vote being upheld in court is a "huge win for election security."

"Missouri proved today how to handle radical activists that come into a state with secure elections and try to undermine them through the legal process," Bailey said in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital.

Bailey added that this was a huge victory for the Show Me State.

"We went to court, we put on the evidence, and radical activists working to undermine our elections FAILED. This is a HUGE win for election security," Bailey said in a post on X. 

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Elon Musk also shared his approval and praise for Missouri's court ruling.

"Congratulations AG Bailey! Now we need this nationwide," Musk wrote in a post on X.

The Missouri court’s decision to uphold the voter ID law came after heavy criticism from groups arguing that such requirements could disenfranchise voters.

However, Bailey’s office successfully presented evidence supporting the law’s necessity and effectiveness in maintaining the integrity of the voting process. The court’s ruling confirmed that the voter ID law does not impose a burden on voters.

Missouri also provides free non-driver's licenses for voting for those who do not already have a driver's license or have a current license. The health department's Bureau of Vital Records provides free birth certificates to those seeking their first non-driver's license in order to vote if the applicant does not have a current driver's license.

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"There is not a severe burden on the right to vote as the State has gone to great lengths to help voters obtain IDs," Bailey wrote in a previous court brief.

In October 2022, Cole County Presiding Judge Jon Beetem had already rejected a lawsuit brought by the Missouri League of Women Voters, NAACP and two voters challenging a law passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature making it mandatory that voters show photo identification to cast a regular ballot. Under the 2022 law, people with a valid government-issued photo ID are still able to submit provisional ballots, which will be counted if they return later that day with a photo ID or if election officials verify their signatures.

Republicans said the goal of the 2022 law was to deter voter fraud, but the plaintiffs in the case argued the legislation placed unconstitutional hurdles on voting, suppressing turnout.

Before the 2022 midterm elections, it was acceptable for Missourians to present a voter registration card, a student identification card, a bank statement or utility bill or a valid driver's license to cast their ballots in the state.

The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that 36 states request or require identification to vote, of which at least 20 ask for a photo ID.

Other Republican-led states are moving in the same direction as Missouri, which could serve as the blueprint for national policy.

"I'm proud that Missouri will continue to lead the nation in defense of election security," Bailey said. 

Critics argue that such requirements are an overreaction that could disenfranchise eligible voters.

Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

A Missouri state court on Monday upheld a state law banning child mutilation, following a brief two-week trial challenging the legislation.

"The Court has left Missouri’s law banning child mutilation in place, a resounding victory for our children. We are the first state in the nation to successfully defend such a law at the trial court level," state Attorney General Andrew Bailey said in a statement. "I’m extremely proud of the thousands of hours my office put in to shine a light on the lack of evidence supporting these irreversible procedures. We will never stop fighting to ensure Missouri is the safest state in the nation for children."

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The ruling in Cole County coincides with the U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming review of U.S. v. Skrmetti, a case in Tennessee set to address the constitutionality of the state’s ban on transgender surgical procedures and medications for minors. The decision in this case could jeopardize the future of so-called "gender-affirming" care for minors nationwide.

The Missouri court rejected the argument by the plaintiffs – Emily Noe on behalf of her minor child – stating that "Any person – including a minor – would be able to do anything from meth, to ecstasy, to abortion as long as a single medical professional was willing to recommend it."

The court also noted that such arguments have been routinely dismissed by courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

The law, enacted in 2023, has been the subject of legal challenges from trans minors, their families and health care providers. It prevents medical providers from performing trans surgeries and administering hormone treatments such as puberty blockers to people under 18.

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After Monday's ruling, Missouri became the first state to uphold a ban on such procedures at the trial court level.

President-elect Trump also vowed on the campaign trail last year to outlaw "gender-affirming" procedures on minors and allow medical providers to be prosecuted. There are currently 26 states that have enacted laws or policies that ban or restrict trans surgeries and treatments for minors, while 24 states and the District of Columbia allow it and/or have passed "shield" laws to protect access to it.