The triumph of the Republican leader Donald Trump as the President of the United States has brought the political focus on immigration issues and the H-1B visa programme to the forefront. The tough posture on the H-1B programme in his first tenure has softened his stance in his second tenure with courtesy of his Silicon Valley ally and supporter Elon Musk whose company thrives on a global talent pool for whom he says “we cannot do without them…go to war for visa issue if necessary”. With Musk appointed as the head of the New Government Efficiency Commission tasked with cutting down the federal budget from US$6.75 trillion to US$2 trillion, Trump intends to make the US into a manufacturing superpower to accomplish his mega project of ‘MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN (MAGA)’.
Despite the vocal critic of H-1B previously, he aligned with his tech tycoon Elon Musk. He praised the programme for recruiting top talents to ramp up the tech industry and fulfil America’s global ambitions. However, its soft instance on the programme has drawn criticism from conservatives who believe that it undermines the project of “America First” in a bid to hire cheap workers over Native Americans.
H-1B Visa: Deep Divisions in the US Immigration Policy
All the views and opinions expressed are those of the author. Image Credit – LinkedIn.
About the Author
Radhika Moondra is pursuing PhD in Political Science at the University of Rajasthan. She completed both Master’s degree and Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Delhi. Her research focus lies on “The Politics of Climate Refugees in South Asia: Addressing it through a Regional Framework.”
