President-elect Donald Trump has expressed support for the H-1B visa program, aligning with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk amid a public dispute over the program’s future. Trump, who previously sought to restrict the visas during his first term, told The New York Post on Saturday, “I have many H-1B visas on my properties. It’s a great program.”
The remarks follow Musk’s vow to “go to war” defending the visas, widely used by tech firms to hire foreign skilled workers. Tesla secured 724 H-1B visas this year, and Musk, a naturalized U.S. citizen from South Africa, previously held one. H-1B visas allow foreign workers to stay for three years, with options to extend or apply for green cards.
The debate intensified after far-right activists criticized Trump’s appointment of Indian American venture capitalist Sriram Krishnan as an AI adviser, claiming it would influence immigration policies. Steve Bannon, a Trump confidante, called the H-1B program a threat, accusing “big tech oligarchs” of undermining American wages.
In response, Musk and other tech leaders highlighted the distinction between legal and illegal immigration, arguing skilled foreign workers are essential to the U.S. economy. Musk has publicly noted a lack of domestic talent to fill tech positions, emphasizing the program’s importance.
Trump’s stance contrasts with his broader immigration policies, which include deporting undocumented immigrants, imposing tariffs to create jobs, and curbing immigration. The issue underscores tensions between the tech industry’s reliance on skilled immigrants and Trump’s base, which views the visas as a threat to American jobs.
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