President-elect Donald Trump appears to be siding with Elon Musk and other tech industry cronies on the issue of work visas for professionals, which is causing controversy in his camp, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
In an interview with the “New York Post“ on Saturday, Trump expressed support for the visas, which are intended to bring skilled workers to the US.
“I've always liked the visas, I've always been in favor of the visas. That's what we have them for,“ Trump said.
In the past, he has criticized the so-called H-1B visas, which he has described as “very bad“ and “unfair“ to American workers. During his first term, he introduced the “Appoint an American” policy, which involved changes to the visa regime to ensure that visas were given to the highest-paid or most qualified candidates.
Despite his criticism of the visas and attempts to limit their use, Trump has also used such visas in his businesses in the past - something he acknowledged in an interview on Saturday.
“I have a lot of H-1B visas in my companies. I believe in the H-1B. I have used them many times. "It's a great program," Trump told the newspaper.
He did not specify whether he would seek to introduce changes to the number or use of visas after taking office on Jan. 20.
Trump's hardline immigration policy, which has focused primarily on immigrants who are in the United States illegally, was a cornerstone of his presidential campaign and a priority issue for his supporters.
In recent days, however, his camp has been divided in a public debate, largely taking place online, over the issue of technology companies hiring foreign workers. The hard right in Trump's camp has accused Musk and other tech supporters of trying to push through policies that run counter to the vision of "America First."
Software engineers and other tech industry workers use the H-1B visas, which are aimed at skilled foreign workers, and say they are a key tool for hiring hard-to-fill positions. But critics say they hurt the American citizens who could fill those jobs.
Some hard right-wingers have called for the visa program to be repealed.