Anamika Dey, editor
Brief news
- President-elect Trump expressed support for the H-1B visa program, stating it allows firms to recruit high-skilled foreign workers and calling it a “fantastic program.”
- The MAGA community is divided on H-1B visas, with some arguing they take jobs from Americans, while others, including Musk and Ramaswamy, defend their benefits.
- Critics like Nikki Haley advocate for investing in the American workforce instead of relying on foreign talent, highlighting a growing debate within the Republican Party.
Detailed news
According to the New York Post, President-elect Donald Trump has chimed in on a simmering feud among MAGA backers on H-1B worker visas. Trump is said to have told the publication that he is in favor of the program.
According to statements made by Trump to the New York Post, he has “always liked the visas.” Through the H-1B visa program, firms are able to temporarily recruit high-skilled individuals who are not citizens of the United States.
Many H-1B visas are currently residing on my properties. I have always been a supporter of the H-1B program. Many times, I have made use of it. According to the report from the site, according to him, “It’s a fantastic program.”
When a request for response was made, a spokeswoman for the Trump transition team did not immediately react to the notification.
The Trump administration took steps during his first term to enact regulations that would have resulted in a reduction in the number of H-1B visas that were given annually. The regulations, on the other hand, were ultimately invalidated by the court.
In recent days, the MAGA world has been engulfed in a discussion regarding the program. One faction has been contending that the program permits foreigners to seize employment in the United States, while another part has been defending the visas.
There have been online posts made by supporters of President Trump, such as Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, arguing that the visa program is beneficial to the nation.
Elon Musk stated in an article that he published this week that “the number of people in the United States who are both extremely talented engineers and extremely motivated is far too low.”
Musk, who was born in South Africa and is a naturalized citizen of the United States, has stated that the H-1B program is the reason he and other individuals connected to the construction of SpaceX and Tesla are currently residing in the United States.
In a post, he said, “Take a big step back and F— YOURSELF in the face.” He was referring to himself. I will wage war on this matter, which is something that you are unable to even begin to fathom how serious it is.
After stating in a post on X that “those contemptible fools must be removed from the Republican Party,” Musk later clarified that he was referring to “those in the Republican Party who are hateful, unrepentant racists.” Musk’s statement was made in reference to the Republican Party.
These posts were a response to a post that was made by Scott Adams, the creator of the “Dilbert” comic. Adams had stated that “MAGA is taking a page from Democrats on how to lose elections while feeling good about themselves.” Musk’s posts were a response to Adams’s remark.
Separately, Ramaswamy, who is working with Musk to oversee Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency, expressed his hope in a post on X that the American society will once again place a higher value on “hard work over laziness.”
The H-1B visa program, according to Ramaswamy, “is badly broken and should be replaced with one that focuses on selecting the very best of the best (not a lottery), pro-competitive (no indentured service to one company), and de-bureaucratized,” Ramaswamy wrote in a post that he made to X on Friday.
Laura Loomer and Steve Bannon, both of whom are far-right activists, were among the Republicans who voiced their opposition to H-1B visas. The former governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, also chimed in on the matter, describing it as “lazy” for the IT industry to automatically seek out individuals from other countries to fulfill their requirements.
On Friday, she sent a post on X in which she urged readers to “invest in our American workforce.” We must first make investments in the United States of America before going overseas.
Musk was also accused of censoring opponents after more than a dozen conservatives, including Loomer, claimed that their blue badge verification on X had been removed after they criticized Musk for his views on immigration. Loomer was one of the conservatives who made this claim.
