the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the H-1B visa program, designed to bring highly skilled workers to the U.S., is at the center of a heated debate within the Republican Party as President-elect Donald Trump publicly expressed support for the program. The discussion has revealed divisions between Trump’s MAGA base and his new tech industry allies, including Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
Trump’s Support for H-1B Visas
In a recent interview with The New York Post, Trump reaffirmed his long-standing support for the H-1B visa program.
“I’ve always liked the visas. I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” Trump said. “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.”
Trump’s remarks come as Musk and Ramaswamy, his appointees to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), face backlash from some Republican factions for supporting the program.
A Divided Republican Party
The debate pits Silicon Valley conservatives and Trump’s tech allies against hardline anti-immigration factions within the GOP. Musk, who once held an H-1B visa himself, passionately defended the program, arguing that it is essential for innovation.
“The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla, and hundreds of other companies is because of H1B,” Musk posted on X, formerly Twitter. “I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend.”
Meanwhile, Ramaswamy, who previously criticized the H-1B system, shifted gears, blaming American culture for a lack of domestic talent in STEM fields.
Far-Right Pushback and Anti-Immigrant Sentiment
Prominent far-right voices like Laura Loomer criticized Trump’s appointees, accusing them of prioritizing foreign workers over Americans. The backlash has also included overtly racist remarks against Indian H-1B holders, who account for 72% of recipients in fiscal 2023.
Some MAGA supporters argue that the program undercuts American workers, with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene urging Americans to “replace the H-1B visa holders” in skilled labor positions.
Silicon Valley Conservatives Rally for Change
Despite the controversy, tech leaders like venture capitalists David Sacks and Joe Lonsdale voiced their support for reforming the H-1B program and increasing skilled immigration. Sacks defended White House policy advisor Sriram Krishnan, whose call to remove caps on green cards for skilled immigrants intensified the debate.
“Supporting a limited number of highly skilled immigrants is still a prevalent view on the right,” Sacks said.
What’s Next for H-1B Visas?
The Biden administration recently clarified application rules for H-1B visas, and Trump’s incoming administration is expected to address immigration policy further. As the debate unfolds, it underscores the challenges of balancing America’s need for skilled talent with political pressures to prioritize domestic workers.
Key Takeaways
- H-1B Visa Program: A work visa for highly skilled professionals, capped at 65,000 annually with an additional 20,000 for U.S. graduates with advanced degrees.
- Supporters: Trump, Musk, Ramaswamy, and Silicon Valley conservatives argue the program boosts innovation and fills critical talent gaps.
- Critics: Some MAGA supporters claim the program exploits workers and harms American job prospects.
- Future of H-1B: Trump’s administration faces the challenge of uniting his coalition while shaping immigration policies that address both economic needs and cultural concerns.
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This is going to be interesting. Promising jobs to Americans but giving jobs to visa holders instead, just to make the big tech ceos richer. Love it. Apparently the rich guys just don’t have enough money. Poor things.
skills gap
thats right. we need skilled people not more landscapers
Who are the rich people going to get to do their lawns and their housecleaning?
Middle school and high school students….
All the U.S. born and educated STEM graduates would like to have a word with you. There is no skills gap. Companies want cheap labor. It’s not difficult to understand.
Productive, smart, law abiding people are the ones we should encourage to come into our country
We need more students to study science and math and we wouldn’t have to import these folks.
Gender, humanities, art/history/literature/film/african studies are a waste of money& useless to earn.
There is no incentive to excel here. Everyone gets a ‘prize’. Total waste of a generation that could have been able to contribute to the greatness of our country.
There’s no doubt some H-1B vis holders are highly skilled workers that benefit the US, but that’s not what the program is usually used for.
IT consultancies bring in foreign workers under H1-B who are paid significantly less than they would if they were US citizens. You can see that in the research recently done on X (née Twitter). In many cases, those workers are technologists who manage teams based off shore. Those teams are the really cheap labor. Many off shore workers are paid less than US minimum wage. This business model benefits the consultancies and their US customers who get good enough IT support for much less money. There is little room for US citizens in this model except for highly specialized, niche work.
Musk says he uses H1-B to hire the 1% of the 1% and I’m sure that’s true. Those workers generate value to his corporation. What’s going on in most companies, though, is cost reduction.
” This business model benefits the consultancies and their US customers who get good enough IT support for much less money. ”
Try dealing with off-shored limited English customer service on a technical issue someday.
When “good enough” is expecting TOO MUCH.
Trump, again, was right when he said:
“The H-1B program is neither high-skilled nor immigration: these are temporary foreign workers, imported from abroad, for the explicit purpose of substituting for American workers at lower pay. I remain totally committed to eliminating rampant, widespread H-1B abuse and ending outrageous practices such as those that occurred at Disney in Florida when Americans were forced to train their foreign replacements. I will end forever the use of the H-1B as a cheap labor program, and institute an absolute requirement to hire American workers first for every visa and immigration program. No exceptions.”
This is the common sense, America-first president we voted for.
How skilled are the American workers? Can they step up with the same skills and knowledge needed to get the job done now, immediately, not waiting for them to sharpen their skills, what a four year program ? Not good! It’s to late for now.
Obviously not. The only solution to making America Great Again is to completely replace Americans with newer, more competent Americans.
so I guess being a stupid “WOKE” shithead didn’t get you anywhere? surprise ,surprise
This BS starts with the cost of college attendance which is astronomical and prevents many americans from attending. Meanwhile international students get huge discounts to attend and then after college get hired and permanently stay in the US.
Why do we need an H1B program which seems to have ballooned into a monster? China doesn’t have one and is doing just fine with its own students.