Tech Layoffs Throw Immigrants' Lives Into Limbo

In November, Huy Tu found out they were one of 11,000 Meta employees being laid off. Tu is allowed to stay in the U.S. through the OPT program, which requires that they be employed.

Since there is only a 90-day grace period for employees who are laid off, Tu is now racing to find a new job. That will be especially difficult because nearly 150,000 tech workers have lost their jobs this year, according to Layoffs.fyi, which tracks the number.

NPR's Stacey Vanek Smith reports on the struggle many immigrants are now facing.

Betsey Stevenson, a labor economist at the University of Michigan who also served in the Obama administration, explains what the tech layoffs might mean for the broader economy.

You can hear more about the tech layoffs on 1A.

In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

This episode was produced by Seyma Bayram, Connor Donevan and Jason Fuller. It was edited by William Troop, Sarah Handel and Uri Berliner. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.