President-elect Donald Trump has expressed his support for the H-1B visa program to the United States (U.S), aligning with Elon Musk, the billionaire tech CEO in a public dispute over its use.
This stance comes despite opposition from some of Trump’s own supporters.
The H-1B visa enables U.S. employers to hire foreign workers for specialised roles requiring particular expertise. It stands as the largest visa category in the United States concerning guest worker numbers. Typically, they are granted for three-year periods, with the possibility of extension or application for a green card. Critics claim it undermines wages for American citizens.
Trump’s comments followed a series of social media posts by Musk, who vowed on Friday to “go to war” to defend the visa program for foreign tech workers.
Musk had invested over a quarter of a billion dollars in supporting Trump’s election campaign, and frequently posted about the shortage of domestic talent to fill essential positions within American tech companies.
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The controversy erupted earlier this week when far-right activists criticized President-elect Donald Trump’s appointment of Sriram Krishnan, an Indian American venture capitalist, as an adviser on artificial intelligence. They argued that Krishnan would influence the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
During his first presidency, Trump had moved to limit the use of H-1B visas. However, in an interview with The New York Post on Saturday, he stated his backing for the program.
“I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program,” he was quoted as saying.
Elon Musk, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from South Africa, has previously held an H-1B visa. His electric car company, Tesla, secured 724 of these visas this year.
Musk’s tweet was aimed at Trump’s supporters and immigration hard-liners, who have increasingly called for the H-1B visa program to be abolished amid a heated debate over immigration and the role of skilled immigrants and foreign workers in the U.S.
On Friday, Steve Bannon, a long-time Trump confidante, criticized “big tech oligarchs” for supporting the H-1B program, portraying immigration as a threat to Western civilization. In response, Musk and other tech billionaires emphasized the distinction between legal and illegal immigration.
Trump has pledged to deport all undocumented immigrants, impose tariffs to create more jobs for American citizens, and severely restrict immigration.
The visa issue underscores the scrutiny tech leaders like Musk – who has played a significant role in the presidential transition by advising on key personnel and policy areas, are now facing from Trump’s base.
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