Recent discourse stirred within Trump’s coalition have made waves earlier this week. These arguments are surrounding the validity of H1-B visas and whether or not they have a place alongside Trump’s “America First” vision as well as his staunch border-tightening policies.
For clarity, H1-B visas are a type of visa given to foreigners with notable merit in specialty occupations. The visa allows for a non-citizen to have permanent residency for up to six years before the visa expires. Most living on an H1-B visa today work in the country’s tech industry.
The president-elect’s agenda from campaigning (in both 2016 and this past year) have made a couple things clear:
One of, if not his largest goal as president, is to carry out strict immigration policies, tightening access to the border; While not an isolationist per say, Trump has pledged to focus on the needs of America and Americans before anything else; Even in the realm of trade, his plan to upscale tariffs on foreign goods is to promote homegrown American essentials. Additionally, the most notable promise is related to foreign policy: To decrease military spending and “stop funding other wars.”
Overall, much of his pledged policies are centered on a principle that prioritizes self sufficiency for the country. So one could understand the argument against H1-B visas in this feud between the right: Why bring in foreign skills instead of using the ones of Americans in our country?
There are many reasons, as Elon Musk has cited on X, for why Trump and his team will continue with the H1-B despite what critics in his party say.
But I think there is a larger question at hand: Would Trump sacrifice a valuable tool to the country’s development amid rapid AI and technological advancements for the sake of aligning with his campaign’s ideology?
No, because in a practical sense and outside the realm of politics, ideology never supersedes policy. This is what Trump and Musk have confirmed this past week. Spectators from both sides of the aisle (including myself) should be reminded that ideology and values play a large role in current US politics and discourse, yet they only go so far.
Implementing actual policy requires acknowledging the country’s reality and its nuances, an objective that isn’t accomplished when discourse occurs solely through an ideological lens as it does with critics of the H1-B.
The reality is that H1-B visas greatly assist the country with foreign skills whilst promoting legal immigration. Thus, the arguments from critics bringing up Trump’s ‘America First’ vision as a rebuttal fall ultimately fall short. Policy deals with the realities of the country at hand, so it’s not uncommon for leaders to be in favor of policies that don’t align with what they may have pledged during their time campaigning when their prime objective was to attract a voter base.
