Trump weighs in on H-1B debate, backs immigration visas
President-elect Trump backed immigration visas for highly-skilled workers as the program has been in the spotlight after Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy faced backlash within the Republican leader's base for signaling their support for the H-1B work visa, which has been criticized as too complicated and susceptible to abuse.
“I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” Trump said in a phone interview with The New York Post published Saturday.
“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 added, as reported by the NY Post.
Trump's support for the program comes as two of his key allies set to run the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk and Ramaswamy, have faced heightened scrutiny on Musk's social platform X from some in the GOP, including far-right activist Laura Loomer and other hard-line anti-immigration Republicans.
The dispute further escalated late Friday night after Musk pledged to "go to war" over the issue in a post on X.
"The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B," he wrote in the post.
"I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend," he added.
The debate appeared to originate from a suggestion last month from Sriram Krishnan, Trump’s pick for White House policy adviser on artificial intelligence, that Musk examine removing caps on green cards for skilled immigrants. Krishnan’s comments resurfaced in recent days after he was appointed by Trump to serve in his incoming administration.
The dispute also comes as the Biden administration announced a rule earlier this month clarifying who can apply for the visas, which followed years of lobbying for a more streamlined H-1B process. Some democratic lawmakers previously called on the Biden administration to address gaps in the immigration system to prepare for the incoming Trump administration’s expected crackdown on immigration.