President Donald Trump of the United States seems to have softened his position on the tough immigration changes of his administration, claiming that the country needs to attract foreign talent for specific professions. The Republican leader admitted that the US needs qualified foreign workers to fill sophisticated positions in delicate industries like defense since long-term unemployed Americans cannot be assigned to such positions without substantial training.
When asked if his administration intended to deprioritize H-1B visas, Trump was speaking with Laura Ingraham of Fox News. In response, “You do have to bring in talent.”
When the host retorted, “We have plenty of talent,” Trump responded, “No, you don’t.”
“You don’t possess any particular skills… People must also understand that they cannot be removed from the unemployment queue and placed in a factory. “We’re going to produce missiles,” he declared.
Due to a significant backlog in approvals and a large number of skilled immigrants from India, almost 70% of all H-1B visas granted in 2024 went to Indian workers.
Trump’s Attack on the H-1B Visa Scheme
The US president’s comments coincided with a broad immigration crackdown and his administration’s criticism of the H-1B visa program. Trump levied a steep $100,000 cost on new H-1 B visa applications in September through a proclamation.
Additionally, at least 175 investigations into possible abuses within the H-1B visa program were started by the US Department of Labor (DOL) last week. The program, known as “Project Firewall,” was started to target businesses that are allegedly abusing the visa system, which permits US corporations to employ foreign workers in specialized fields including engineering, healthcare, and information technology.
Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, declared in October that he was ordering the state’s Board of Governors to stop using H-1B visas at all public universities, stating that natives of Florida should take the positions currently occupied by visa holders.
“Why are we inviting individuals to evaluate our H-1B visa accreditation? With our own people, we can’t do that.” DeSantis stated that the practice amounts to “cheap labor” and urged university administrators to reconsider their hiring procedures.
