WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a sharp reversal from his administration’s earlier stance, U.S. President Donald Trump has defended the H-1B visa program, saying the country needs foreign talent to sustain certain industries.
During an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Tuesday, Trump dismissed the suggestion that the U.S. has enough domestic talent to fill all specialized positions. When Ingraham asked if his administration planned to scale back the H-1B program, Trump replied, “You do have to bring in talent.”
When pressed that “we have plenty of talent,” Trump countered, “No, you don’t. You don’t have certain talents. And people have to learn — you can’t take people off an unemployment line and say, I’m going to put you into a factory. We’re going to make missiles.”
The remarks come just weeks after Trump’s administration introduced a sweeping crackdown on H-1B visas through a September proclamation that imposed a hefty $100,000 application fee. The move, aimed at tightening oversight and discouraging misuse of the visa system, had drawn widespread criticism from business groups and lawmakers.
In September, the Department of Labor (DOL) launched “Project Firewall,” an initiative targeting companies accused of exploiting the H-1B program, which allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in specialty fields such as IT, engineering, and healthcare. The department has opened at least 175 investigations into potential abuses.
“The Department of Labor is using every resource at our disposal to put a stop to H-1B abuse and protect American jobs,” DOL Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer wrote on X.
Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced in October that the state’s universities would phase out the use of H-1B visa holders, arguing that those jobs should go to Florida residents. “Why are we bringing people in to assess our accreditation on an H-1B visa? We can’t do that with our own people?” DeSantis said, calling the practice a form of “cheap labor.”
Despite these crackdowns, Trump’s latest comments signal a softer tone toward high-skilled immigration, particularly as the administration faces multiple lawsuits challenging its H-1B restrictions — including one filed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
On October 31, five U.S. lawmakers urged the president to reconsider his visa proclamation, warning that it could harm the U.S.-India relationship. India-born professionals continue to dominate the H-1B landscape, accounting for more than 70 percent of approvals in 2024 amid ongoing backlogs in the system. (Source: IANS)
