Trump says he's 'in favour' of H-1B visas amid MAGA row over foreign workers

US President-elect Donald Trump has waded into an escalating debate among his supporters and tech leaders, expressing support for the H-1B visa programme, which allows highly skilled foreign workers to enter the Unites States.

“I’ve always liked the (H-1B) visas. I have always been in favour of the visas, that’s why we have them,” Trump told the New York Post on Saturday, his first public remarks on the issue since it blew up this week.

The statement places Trump at the centre of a fiery row that has split his base. On one side are traditional anti-immigration Trump loyalists, while on the other are prominent Silicon Valley leaders like Elon Musk, who advocate for the visas as essential for maintaining America’s technological edge.

Musk, the CEO of Tesla and once an H-1B visa holder himself, has been a vocal proponent of the programme.

“There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent. It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley,” Musk wrote on December 25 on X, his social media platform.

The controversy erupted after Laura Loomer, a right-wing influencer and staunch immigration critic, lashed out at Trump’s decision to appoint Indian-origin tech executive Sriram Krishnan as his artificial intelligence adviser.

Loomer called the move “not America First policy,” drawing support from some conservative Republicans, including former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley.

Musk and his ally, Vivek Ramaswamy, co-leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have defended the tech industry’s reliance on H-1B workers.

“American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence,” Ramaswamy wrote on X. “If we pretend like ‘normalcy’ cuts it, we’ll have our asses handed to us by China.”

The exchange highlighted a broader division within the Republican Party. Musk called out "hateful racists", warned of a “MAGA civil war”, and aggressively responded to H1-B critics online.

“I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend,” the billionaire tweeted.

The H-1B visa programme, used extensively by tech giants to hire engineers from nations such as India and China, has been a contentious topic. During his first term, Trump restricted the program, citing its potential to undercut American workers.

However, his renewed openness to H-1B visas signals a potential shift in immigration policy under his leadership, setting off hardliners and MAGA supporters who view it as a betrayal of Trump’s 'America First' agenda.

The debate comes as the US Department of Homeland Security introduced new regulations to modernise the H-1B programme, set to take effect on January 17, 2025, just days before Trump takes office.