The H-1B Visa Controversy: Cheap Labor, Racism, And The American Divide

Following the re-election of Donald Trump, Trump announced the creation of a new initiative, nicknamed DOGE, which stands for the Department of Government Efficiency. The purpose of DOGE is to reduce federal spending and two billionaires, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, were appointed to lead the department. Recently both Musk and Ramaswamy have drawn the ire of many Trump supporters after posts made on X. In one post, Ramaswamy wrote “our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long,” and went on to explain that American culture’s admiration for the jocks and prom queens over the perceived “nerds” has led to a lack of top-tier engineers and went on to praise foreign-born and first-generation talent.

Many of the major tech companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple and Meta rely on foreign-born workers to remain competitive and the amount of employees holding H-1B visas, which grant skilled workers from outside the U.S. the ability to work within the U.S., has steadily increased over the last eight years. Elon Musk has repeatedly proclaimed his support of these types of visas, as someone who was able to stay in the country on an H1-B visa and whose company, Tesla, is one of the top employers of H-1B visa holders. In a series of posts, Musk shared his support of H1-B visas, much to the anger and chagrin of Trump supporters. Amidst the feud between Musk, Ramaswamy and the many in Trump’s base who are against the hiring of foreign-born workers over American workers, Trump shared that he was in support of the H-1B visa program.

The support of H-1B visas by billionaires like Musk, Ramaswamy and others should come as no surprise. On the surface, these work visas seem like a win-win, allowing highly skilled workers in specialized fields to contribute to the U.S. labor force while being granted the ability to stay in the country. What isn’t talked about enough is the exploitation that these workers often experience. The Economic Policy Institute reported that a majority of H-1B workers are paid below median wages. Not only is paying employees lower wages advantageous for employers, but workers on H-1B visas may be less likely to report workplace harm and mistreatment due to fears of how the loss of an H-1B job could drastically impact their life. It’s not outside the realm of possibilities that because of what’s at stake, many H-1B workers are more compliant and less rebellious than American employees, which would naturally make them a more enticing hire.

Immigration, in addition to the economy, was a core issue for American voters; Trump’s stance on immigration and his promises of mass deportation likely contributed to his win. Research from the Pew Research Center from August 2024 indicated that compared to Harris supporters, Trump supporters were more in favor of mass deportations of immigrants living in the country illegally (88%) and far fewer Trump supporters, compared to Harris supporters, were in favor of admitting immigrants from all over the world to ensure a diverse immigrant population (29%). Trump recently shared that he was in favor of automatically granting green cards to international students who graduate college and according to the aforementioned Pew Research Center study, 63% of his supporters were in favor of this as well.

Ramaswamy and Musk’s posts on X have sparked a bitter debate among Trump’s supporters. Some Trump supporters have resorted to spewing racist and xenophobic rhetoric online based on fears of a “browning” America and anxieties about being replaced. Instead of uniting across party lines over class struggles and society’s collective disdain for rising inflation, racism has reigned supreme. At the end of the day, capitalism trumps nativism and regardless of one’s party affiliation, the almighty dollar rules. Many of Trump’s supporters may feel hoodwinked; voting for him because of his immigration promises, only to learn that Trump and his billionaire allies are more focused on how foreign workers make American businesses more profitable.

There are two important takeaways from this debate. First, there is the need for reform within the H-1B program to ensure foreign workers are treated fairly and equitably and that protections are put in place to thwart exploitation by the corporations that hire these workers. Second, we tend to be more accepting of European immigrants versus those from the Global South (e.g. Mexico, India), which highlights the racism deeply embedded into our immigration discourse. If we intend on building the best version of this country that’s possible, we must embrace people from different backgrounds, while recognizing that diversity is one of our greatest strengths.