A pro-immigrant program was expanded under President Obama that paid U.S. firms $2.7 billion to hire 180,000 foreign "students," jobs that likely otherwise would have gone to Americans, according to a new report.

The so-called "Optional Practical Training" was supposedly set up for foreign students but actually included no training and put college graduates in the high-paying jobs for three years.

The Center for Immigration Studies, which on Friday urged President Trump to stop the program, estimated that the jobs paid $60,000, suggesting a total of $11 billion in annual wages lost to American workers, over $32 billion over three years. In his Inaugural Address, Trump advocated an "America First" theme.

The Center said the program, also used under former President George W. Bush, paid companies $10,000-$15,000 to hire the foreigner college grads for three years.

"That is a prize worthy of special attention. More than 180,000 good jobs," said the Center, adding:

"The best part of OPT for the foreign alums — and a devastating factor to U.S. resident college grads (both citizens and green card holders) — is that employers are given a $10,000-$15,000 bonus for hiring an alien rather than an American with the same salary.

"This is hard to believe, but true; recent administrations have waved a magic wand over the foreign grads and called them 'students' so that the usual payroll taxes (Social Security and Medicare) do not apply to either their employers or to the students.

"So the employer, faced with two equally qualified candidates for, say, a $60,000 a year job (for three years), each candidate being willing to work for that salary, has his choice. If he hires the alien the total payroll costs for three years will be $180,000; if he hires the citizen alternative, the employer will pay $193,770. The higher the salary, the bigger the bonus to the employer hiring the alien."

The author of the report, immigration expert and former Labor Department official David North, called on Trump to end the program.

Besides an additional 180,000 well-paying jobs opening up, he wrote, "There would be a substantial bonus — one to two billion dollars a year — for our older citizens, as the undeserved current savings come right out of the hide of the Medicare and Social Security systems. So this move would not only be in line with the president's promise to increase the number of jobs for working-age Americans, it would also fit in with his promise not to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits for one-time working Americans.

"In short, a really, really good twofer!"

Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.com