The battle over H1-B visas between MAGA supporters and Trump/Musk is growing louder.
“President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday 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 this week.
Trump said in an interview with The New York Post 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. But 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 on 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.
Many of the workers at Trump properties, however, are granted visas through the separate H-2B program, which allows employers to bring foreign workers to the United States for temporary non-agricultural jobs such as landscaping and hospitality.
The Department of Labor posts detailed visa-worker data online going back to 2008. During that time, Trump’s businesses requested and received government approval to hire foreign laborers for more than 2,100 positions. About 70 of those positions were for high-skilled workers through the H-1B program. Most of the requests for H-1B workers were made more than a decade ago by companies such as Trump Model Management and Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York.”
For the rest of the story, visit The New York Times here.