A debate on form radical immigration policies The issue of work visas for highly skilled workers has become the first major political conflict between prominent supporters of US President-elect Donald Trump – just weeks before the Republican’s new presidential term.
On one side are members of Trump’s MAGA movement, called “Make America Great Again,” who have called for a crackdown on highly skilled workers. H-1B visa as part of the president-elect’s broader commitment to tightening migration and immigration.
Trump’s campaign promises have focused particularly on the U.S.-Mexico border, although he has proposed other restrictions.
In the other camp are prominent Trump supporters — including tech billionaire Elon Musk — who have defended visas as essential to U.S. industrial and economic growth.
Here’s what you need to know.
How did it start?
The latest debate erupted when Laura Loomer, a far-right figure who has had close ties to Trump in the past, criticized on social media the president-elect’s choice of an artificial intelligence adviser, who supported that the United States needed more foreign capital. skilled workers to stay competitive in technology industries.
Criticism of Loomer, who has been accused of racism and spreading conspiracy theories in the past, was quickly echoed by several high-profile figures in the tech industry.
This included SpaceX and Tesla CEO Musk, who was chosen by Trump to lead a government efficiency advisory council.
In response, Loomer accused tech billionaires of influencing Trump for their own gains.
“We must protect President Trump from the technocrats,” Loomer said in an article on X on December 25.
Who receives H-1B visas?
H-1B visas are generally reserved for specialized foreign workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher who have been offered temporary employment paying an industry standard wage in the United States.
US authorities can issue 65,000 new H-1B visas per year, with possibly an additional 20,000 for master’s degree holders.
Visas can also be extended upon expiration, with more than 309,000 people approved for continued employment in fiscal year 2022, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
About 70 percent of H-1B visa recipients come from India and 10 percent from China.
What did Musk and other H-1B advocates say?
Musk said that “the number of people who are super talented AND super motivated engineers in the United States is far too low” and described the H-1B program as essential “for those who want America to win.”
In a series of articles on X, which he also owns, Musk further pledged to “wage war on this issue.”
Vivek Ramaswamy, a former presidential candidate who was chosen to work alongside Elon Musk on the Government Efficiency Committee, has criticized the program as “severely flawed” but is not in favor of their removing it altogether, instead saying visas should be granted based on merit.
Ramaswamy irked the hardline anti-immigration faction of Trump supporters after posting on social media Thursday that tech companies were hiring immigrants because “American culture has for too long worshiped mediocrity over excellence.”
“A culture that celebrates the prom queen rather than the math Olympiad champion, or the athlete rather than the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers,” he wrote.
And Trump?
Trump spoke out on the issue for the first time on Saturday.
He told the New York Post: “I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I believe in the H-1B.
“I’ve used it many times,” he said, referring to his own real estate projects. “It’s a great program.”
However, these statements represent a change for the president-elect.
In the past, he has criticized visas as “very bad” and “unfair” for American workers and his administration has sought to increase barriers for applicants during his first term.
Why is this important?
This back-and-forth underscores a growing fault line between many of Trump’s early supporters and those like Musk who only embraced him during the 2024 election campaign. Many of the latter – like Musk – are associated with the tech industry and are less likely to amplify nativist rhetoric.
This infighting could influence the next four years of Trump’s presidency, with Musk already warning of a “MAGA civil war” over the issue.
Several of Trump’s most prominent supporters during his first term joined in, with strategist Steve Bannon condemning “Big Tech oligarchs” who support visas.
