An executive order from President Donald Trump targeting skilled foreign workers sparked chaos aboard an Emirates flight out of San Francisco.
Flight EK226, scheduled to depart SFO for Dubai at 5:05 p.m., was delayed for hours after passengers learned that the president had signed a proclamation earlier in the day slapping a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications, a blow to the technology sector, which relies heavily on workers from India and China. As word spread through the cabin, multiple passengers demanded to disembark.
Video from inside the Airbus A380 captured the captain addressing passengers over the loudspeaker, saying, “Due to the current circumstances, obviously they are unprecedented for us here at Emirates, we are aware that a number of passengers do not wish to travel with us and that is perfectly fine. All we ask is that if you wish to offload yourself, you do so.”
Masud Rana, a passenger on the flight, wrote on Instagram: “It was complete chaos for Emirates passengers at San Francisco Airport this Friday morning… As a result, I was stuck in the same spot for over three hours, waiting for the flight to depart.”
The H-1B program, which allows U.S. employers to hire foreign nationals with specialized skills, is widely used in the Bay Area’s tech sector. According to the Silicon Valley Index, about 66 percent of the region’s tech workers are foreign-born. While the fee applies only to new applications, the confusion on board EK226 was immediate.
Reuters reported that on Friday, tech companies and banks sent urgent memos to their employees telling them not to leave the U.S. and advising those who were overseas to return to the country before 12:01 Sunday.
The proclamation is the latest move in Trump’s overhaul of immigration and work visa policies. His administration has tightened eligibility requirements, limited the lottery system that distributes visas, and increased scrutiny of applications. Friday’s order dramatically raises the cost barrier for companies seeking to bring in workers from abroad.
Trump signed a proclamation earlier in the day slapping a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications. / Andrew Harnik / Getty Images
By the time the passengers who chose to remain were reseated and luggage for those who left was offloaded, EK226’s departure had been pushed back more than three hours. Flight-tracking data from FlightAware showed the jet finally left the gate at 8:20 p.m.
The White House has not said when the new H-1B fees will take effect, but the sudden rollout was enough to rattle Silicon Valley.
Several of Trump’s supporters head up companies that employ a significant number of workers on H-1B visas. Amazon, whose founder and executive chairman, Jeff Bezos, attended the president’s inauguration, received more than 10,000 H-1B visas in 2024, more than any other employer.
Meta, whose CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the White House earlier this month clamoring for Trump’s attention, came in fourth, receiving more than 5,000 H-1B visas in the same period.
Emirates declined to comment. The Daily Beast has also reached out to the White House for comment.
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