Trump appears to be backtracking on the topic of the H1-B visa, after positioning himself in support of it. It’s a controversial step considering his supporter’s general views toward immigration and is only adding to the feeling of unrest ahead of his election.
While many far-right supporters and followers of Trump are staunchly anti-immigration, Trump has himself has recently come out in favor of the H1-B visa. This visa allows skilled workers from overseas to be employed in key sectors such as technology, engineering, and science. Critics are saying that this will undercut homegrown talent while supporters of the visa, including tech billionaire Elon Musk, say it will encourage the world’s best to work in the States.
In the past, Trump tried to limit the visa during his first term as President, but in the current debate surrounding the H1-B visa it appears he has changed his mind.
When the President-elect was asked what changed his mind, he responded, “I didn’t change my mind. I’ve always felt that we have to have the most competent people. We need competent people, smart people coming into our country. We need a lot of people coming in, we’re going to have jobs like we’ve never had before.” This sentiment is very much at odds with how many of his supporters feel, especially those who are anti-immigration and want to see American jobs filled by American citizens.
And so the infighting begins
The feud over the visa began after Trump elected Sriram Krishnan, an Indian American venture capitalist, to be an adviser on artificial intelligence. Far-right individuals are not happy about the selection, believing Krishnan would influence Trump’s immigration policies. In November last year, Krishnan advocated removing country caps on green cards. However, his role would be to advise the White House on AI policy, not immigration. The selection of Krishnan had many up in arms, including Trump loyalists Laura Loomer and Matt Gaetz, with the former stating she found the selection “deeply disturbing.”
Stepping into the fray then are Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who have placed themselves in direct opposition to Trump’s more far-right MAGA supporters. That’s right folks, it’s a civil war. On X, Musk stated the need for more people coming through on the H1-B visa, writing, “There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent. It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.” Ramaswamy also wrote a lengthy post on the matter, highlighting how “Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long.” Anti-immigration advocate Loomer was not happy and responded in kind with her own racist laden rant.
“It’s not racist against Indians to want the original MAGA policies I voted for. I voted for a reduction in H1B visas. Not an extension,” she says. She then proceeds to say, “If India is such a high skilled society, why does it look like this?” having attached a photo of what appears to be a riverbank in India strewn with garbage. So totally not racist.
This issue seems to be a dividing one within Trump’s own ranks. It shows how Trump’s base, his right-wing supporters, differ from his newer supporters, in this instance, Musk. It’s the “little guy” vs. billionaire big tech. Trump has tried to sell himself as both the “little guy” and as a business mogul, but it appears this two-faced lie is finally catching up to him.
Published: Jan 6, 2025 08:22 am