Incoming president-elect Donald Trump has defended the visa program that allows highly skilled foreign workers to immigrate to the US, marking his first comments on an issue that has divided his supporters.
In his interview with The New York Post last 28 December, he said that he's "a believer in H-1B," referring to the visas granted to thousands of foreign workers who immigrate to the US to fill specialized jobs. In his first term, Trump restricted access to foreign worker visas, and he has previously criticized the program.
However, during the 2024 campaign, Trump signaled openness to giving some foreign-born workers legal status if they graduated from a US university.
"I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them," Trump told The New York Post.
"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.
Trump’s comments mark the first time he’s weighed in on the issue since entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, whom Trump has tapped to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, defended the foreign worker visa program, igniting sharp criticism from MAGA loyalists hoping to restrict immigration.
Over several days this week, Musk has passionately defended H-1B visas in social media posts, arguing for their importance in allowing tech companies — including his own — to grow their businesses. In a post last 27 December, Musk said he will "go to war" to protect access to H-1B visas.
"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,” the tech mogul wrote. “I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend."
Musk, who was born in South Africa and obtained Canadian citizenship through his mother, came to the US as a foreign student and later worked on an H-1B visa.
Musk and Ramaswamy’s defense of foreign worker visas has been met with strong pushback from the anti-immigration supporters in Trump's coalition. Former Trump aide Steve Bannon called H-1B visas a "scam" on an episode of his podcast recently, joining a vocal contingent of loyal Trump supporters that includes former Rep. Matt Gaetz and far-right provocateur Laura Loomer.
The H-1B visa program allows 65,000 highly skilled workers to immigrate to the US each year to fill specific jobs and grants another 20,000 visas to such workers who have received an advanced degree in the US. Economists have argued the program allows US companies to maintain competitiveness and grow their business, creating more jobs in the US.