The H-1B visa program, which countless tech companies and other large employers rely on to recruit highly skilled talent from abroad, has recently sparked a debate between various factions of the Trump administration.
On one side are the likes of Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, and other tech industry figures who Trump has brought into the fold, who have been vocal about their support for welcoming more highly skilled workers into the U.S., in keeping with the industry’s pro-immigration stance. Both Musk and Ramaswamy have argued there is a shortage of engineers and workers who can fill specialized jobs, though the latter recently went a step further to proclaim “American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence.”
On the other end, however, are the Trump loyalists and right-wing supporters who believe in cracking down on immigration and hiring more U.S. workers. Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, for example, has called the H-1B program a “total and complete scam.”
As for Trump himself: Immigration policy has been a key part of his platform for nearly 10 years, across three presidential campaigns. Over the last year, he has promised to deport millions of undocumented immigrants—and during his first term, Trump put forth several policy changes and proposals that sought to limit legal immigration, as well. But lately, his position seems to be shifting, perhaps due to pressure from his allies in tech. In a recent interview with the New York Post, Trump suggested that he was actually “in favor of the visas,” in contrast to his previous criticism of the H-1B program.
