Immigration policy divides Trump, Elon Musk and their allies – what you should know

Topline

The H1-B visas, issued to specialized workers – particularly in science and engineering jobs – are dividing President-elect Donald Trump’s circle of allies ahead of his second term, while tech billionaires like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have faced criticism from others become law for the defense of immigration policy.

Important facts

What have tech leaders said about H1-B visas?

In addition to Musk – who compared the use of H1-Bs for “the top ~0.1% of technical talent” to the NBA’s recruitment of foreign players to help “their entire team (which is mostly American!), to win the NBA” – the visa program did so and was also supported by Ramaswamy, who claimed on X, formerly known as Twitter, that recruiting foreign workers was necessary because America “has worshiped mediocrity over excellence for far too long.” . “A culture that worships Cory from ‘Boy Meets World’ or Zach & Slater before Screech in ‘Saved by the Bell’ or ‘Stefan’ before Steve Urkel in ‘Family Matters’ is not going to produce the best engineers,” says Ramaswamy. who, together with Musk, will lead Trump’s new “Department of Government Efficiency,” wrote. “More movies like Whiplash, fewer reruns of ‘Friends.'” Venture capitalist David Sacks, whom Trump named as his new AI “tsar” – and, like Musk himself, is from South Africa – has also expressed his support for Krishnan and H1-B Expressed Visa, reposting tweets in favor of Krishnan and denouncing “a baseless witch hunt against a highly qualified American for a role as an AI consultant.” “Number of illegal immigrants per year: 3+ million. Number of work visas/year: 140,000. First, maybe we should focus on the 95% we all agree on,” Sacks posted on X on Wednesday.

What will happen to H1-B visas in Trump’s second term?

It is ultimately unclear what will happen to H1-B visas during Trump’s second term. The president-elect has not yet commented on the debate over the immigration program, and it is uncertain whether he would impose the visa restriction following his first term or whether advisers like Musk and Ramaswamy will persuade him to keep the program. Trump has indicated that his main priority in office will be cracking down on undocumented immigrants – whom he has vowed to deport en masse – although the president-elect has also targeted some legal migration routes, such as family-based visas.

Big number

65,000. That’s the number of H1-B visas issued each fiscal year, with an additional 20,000 visas awarded to workers who have a master’s degree or higher from a U.S. university. According to the American Immigration Council, in 2023 more than 700,000 people held an H1-B visa, which is valid for three years but can then be extended for up to six years.

Important background

Silicon Valley has become increasingly present in Trump’s inner circle ahead of his second term as more tech leaders align with the president-elect. Musk became one of Trump’s biggest supporters and donors in the run-up to the election and was rewarded when Trump named him co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency with Ramaswamy. According to the New York Times, Trump is also advised by technology leaders such as Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and billionaire Marc Andreessen and has named tech figures for key roles in his administration. Silicon Valley’s courting of Trump could pay off for them as Musk’s companies are subject to numerous government investigations that could disappear under a second Trump administration, and his company and other tech firms that support Trump are waiting to win lucrative government contracts . Trump was also influenced by major donors on high-profile technology issues such as support for cryptocurrencies and opposition to the TikTok ban. Billionaires in the tech industry who were not previously affiliated with Trump also appear to be trying to curry favor with the president-elect following his election victory, with leaders including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos dining with Trump. a-Lago in the last few weeks. Musk’s support for H1-B visas comes as the billionaire has come under increasing criticism for his influence on Trump and US politics, attending meetings between Trump and world leaders and becoming a mainstay following Trump’s election at Mar-a-Lago. The Tesla boss also influenced Republicans to vote against a proposed spending bill in early December, sparking fears of a government shutdown and leading some Democrats to view the billionaire as “President Musk.”

Further reading

ForbesThe billionaires Trump picked for the next administration: Elon Musk, Tilman Fertitta and moreFrom Sara Dorn

ForbesTrump’s Cabinet and Key Offices: Miami-Dade Commissioner Kevin Cabrera and billionaire Tilman Fertitta among recent nomineesFrom Sara Dorn
ForbesTrumpiverse: Ranking Trump’s Inner CircleFrom Joe Walsh