In MAGA Feud, Trump Says He Employs Many H1B Workers
India-West News Desk
WASHINGTON DC – Donald Trump’s recent endorsement of the H-1B visa program has amplified internal divisions within his MAGA coalition, particularly over immigration policy. In a New York Post interview, Trump praised the program, calling it “great” and admitting frequent use of H-1B visas at his properties. This marks a departure from his earlier stance; during his first term, Trump’s administration imposed significant restrictions on the program, citing abuse and harm to American workers.
The debate has intensified as Trump allies Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy—both leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—have vocally advocated for expanding H-1B visas to attract highly skilled workers. Their stance has triggered backlash from MAGA loyalists, exposing a rift between proponents of skilled immigration and those pushing for stricter policies.
Musk – Ramaswamy Advocacy
Musk underscored the need for top engineering talent to maintain America’s technological edge. In a series of posts, he likened the U.S. to a pro sports team, arguing that recruiting global talent is essential for success. “The number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low,” Musk wrote, emphasizing that legal immigration should target the top 0.1% of engineering talent globally.
Ramaswamy echoed Musk’s sentiments, criticizing American culture for valuing mediocrity over excellence. He pointed to cultural stagnation as a driver for reliance on foreign-born talent. “A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math Olympiad champ…will not produce the best engineers,” he argued.
Backlash From MAGA Loyalists
This advocacy for skilled immigration has drawn sharp criticism from figures like Laura Loomer, Ann Coulter, and former Congressman Matt Gaetz, who view it as a betrayal of Trump’s “America First” ethos. Gaetz accused Musk and Ramaswamy of engineering an immigration policy that undermines American workers, while Nikki Haley rejected their claims about cultural stagnation, stating, “There is nothing wrong with American workers or American culture.”
Trump’s Evolving Position
Despite the divide, Trump has recently signaled a more moderate approach, proposing that foreign nationals graduating from U.S. universities should automatically receive green cards. “If you graduate from a college, I think you should get a green card as part of your diploma,” he said in a podcast earlier this year.
Broader Implications
The H-1B visa debate highlights deeper ideological rifts within the Republican Party and Trump’s coalition. While Musk and Ramaswamy emphasize leveraging global talent to boost the U.S. economy, traditionalists advocate restricting immigration to prioritize American workers.
As Trump prepares to assume office, this internal conflict underscores the challenges his administration faces in reconciling these contrasting visions on immigration policy, which will likely have significant implications for the U.S. economy and its relationship with immigrant communities, particularly Indian workers who account for 72% of H-1B recipients.
Kal Gandikota
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Given the transparency provided by the massive computer systems around us, instead of H-1B, I propose transforming the current H-1B system into a more dynamic self-sponsored work permit system that prioritizes individual merit & career flexibility. Under this proposal, qualified professionals could maintain their status through consistent tax contributions over defined periods – an initial 5-year term, renewable for another 5 years. After demonstrating sustained technological & economic contributions through 8 years of tax payments, individuals would become eligible to apply for permanent residency for the next 10 years, with a pathway to citizenship following 5 years from the date of receiving their permanent residency. This standardized 15-year pathway to citizenship would apply equitably to all skilled professionals, regardless of national origin, creating a unified & transparent process. The proposal would phase out the current diversity visa lottery in favor of this merit-based system.
This new system would enable workers to self-attest their qualifications and maintain status through sustained tax contributions, while offering multiple career tracks (Technical Professional, Entrepreneurial, and Specialized Expert) with flexible transitions between them via a 12-month bridge period. The evaluation would use a points-based assessment considering education, experience, and impact, with regular milestone reviews and clear metrics for each track – including project portfolios and patents for technical professionals, revenue and job creation metrics for entrepreneurs, and professional credentials for specialists. Thus, the path to citizenship would be standardized at 15 years, requiring regular tax contributions and periodic reassessments, while integration with systems like the Affordable Care Act would ensure healthcare coverage. Thus, I wish experts are brought in to conduct a detailed data-driven analysis to change the work-visas & related immigration.
This merit-focused approach would reduce corporate influence in immigration decisions while maintaining program integrity through robust verification mechanisms, clear transition parameters, and an appeals process, ultimately creating a more transparent and equitable system that aligns with national technological & economic goals while giving skilled immigrants greater control over their career trajectories avoiding suffering, frustrations and curse of those who would have to return back to their birth/ancestral countries in an event their visa statuses expired.
December 30, 2024Daljit (Dean) Singh
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The theory above prescribed by Mr. Kal Gondikota to resolve the immigration flood control problems in the United States has two fault lines. One, the recommendation on self-assessment of qualifications and the progressive level of annual tax payments as supporting evidence for the renewal application of a foreign national to remain in the United States. The other is the appeal process as outlined in the last paragraph of this otherwise well-written essay. Both methodologies are riddled with bureaucratic mines loved by people who believe in big government principles. This theory will feed two already bloated workforces; one, regulatory bureaucracy, and second, specialized judiciary–administrative law judges. Sorry, it is not going to work. Take it from a person who taught in this field for 45 years.
December 30, 2024Kal Gandikota
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Dear Sir, Thank you for your thoughtful response to my work-based immigration reform proposal. I deeply respect your extensive experience, having spent 45 years teaching in this field, and I truly value the candid feedback you’ve provided regarding the potential administrative challenges. However, I must admit that your concerns about the capabilities of critical institutions like USCIS/DHS resonate with a sense of profound sadness and confusion about the state of the Union of the United States of America. If, as an American citizen, you feel uncertain about the reliability and effectiveness of such a foundational part of the U.S. government, it raises a deeply troubling question about the direction in which this great country is heading. For a country that prides itself on the ideals of opportunity, life, liberty, meritocracy, and innovation, the inability to trust the systems designed to uphold these values leaves one wondering how we can hope to address the pressing issues of our time in the USA—a great country under their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness!
While I acknowledge the concerns about bureaucratic complexity in the self-assessment and appeals processes, I believe we might find common ground by leveraging existing systems rather than creating new ones. The current H-1B system, despite its original good intentions, has developed significant issues that merit thoughtful reform.
Consider how we might:
1. Utilize existing verification frameworks and professional licensing bodies to validate qualifications, rather than creating new bureaucratic structures.
2. Integrate tax contribution metrics with current IRS systems to minimize additional administrative overhead.
3. Work within the existing immigration court structure instead of establishing new specialized judiciary.
The goal is to address the current system’s shortcomings—including worker exploitation, limited career mobility, and employer-dependent status—while avoiding the creation of additional bureaucratic layers. Many H-1B professionals face challenging working conditions and career limitations that ultimately diminish their potential contributions to American innovation and economic growth. Unfortunately, this situation not only harms the individuals involved but also tarnishes the reputation of the United States among the comitys of nations.
Perhaps we could explore ways to streamline the verification process by engaging existing DHS personnel and leveraging current government databases. This approach could maintain program integrity while reducing administrative burden and corporate influence over immigration decisions.
I wish that more Americans in the American Federal Government, if needed including state governments—especially from the middle and lower-middle classes—would recognize the importance of certifying that a foreign individual is needed to work in the U.S., or even worthy of becoming a fellow American citizen—rather than leaving this decision to HR professionals and hiring managers who themselves are often under pressure from top management and investors.
January 1, 2025Ven Parameswaran
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Why should qualified professionals wait for 15 years to get citizenship? Absurd. Trump’s proposal is the best. When a foreign student graduates with a degree he should be entitled to receive his Permanent Resident card along with his diploma. There is a heavy shortage of engineers in the USA. Therefore, anyone with a B.S degree should be able to qualify for Permanent Resident card even when he is abroad. This is the only way the USA can compete with China in technological research and development. Trump’s new policies could attract many from foreign countries who knows English.
December 31, 2024Ryan
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There is absolutely no shortage American engineers. H1B is just a means for corporations to employ people at a lower wage. However, I do agree people with advanced skill and education (PhD/MD and not a MS/BS) should be able to be fast tracked into permanent resident status as that would help the country.
January 1, 2025Kal Gandikota
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Ven, your passive-aggressive comment has been well received. Immigration policies, including those governing visas, should not only focus on technical skills but also take into account a worker’s understanding of the host country’s cultures, religions, and languages, as well as their broader contributions to society and, in fact, to the entire planet. The policies of any country, including the USA, must aim to establish fair and transparent criteria that uphold human dignity while balancing the interests of both the host country and foreign nationals.
Regarding the USA’s visa systems, over the last few years, there have been increasing reports of mistreatment, discrimination, and other abuses within the H-1B framework, many of which have come to light through social media and interactive platforms. Unfortunately, this situation not only harms the individuals involved but also tarnishes the reputation of the United States among the comity of nations and affects the international diplomatic efforts of the American federal government worldwide.
The current system, while designed with good intentions, may inadvertently create a competitive disadvantage for the very professionals it aims to attract. The experiences of many H-1B holders suggest that the benefits of bringing skilled individuals to the country are not fully realized when they face systemic challenges, including racism, bigotry, regionalism, cultural biases, casteism, and discrimination against disabilities, and ultimately have to return to their home countries, often under duress. Remember, everybody is somebody’s child! Where I live in Silicon Valley, even squirrels and seagulls are fighting humans, not just world-wide insects or viruses! I want to say more, but I don’t know what the limits of this forum’s moderators (human or computer) are… so, I will refrain from testing their limits.
January 1, 2025