A bitter public feud divided the MAGA movement over the holidays, as advocates of high-skilled legal immigration like Elon Musk argued vociferously (and sometimes vulgarly) with right-wing immigration critics over H-1B visas.
Musk, like many tech executives, strongly supports the program, which allows companies to bring skilled foreign workers to the U.S. for specific jobs — indeed, Musk said he was once Such a visa itself. Critics on the right have long argued that it suppresses wages for American workers, while proponents say it attracts top talent and helps American businesses succeed.
“The reason I’m in America with so many critical people who have built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that have made America strong is because of H1B. Take a big step back and fuck in your face,” Posted by Kasturi. “I will go to war on this issue that you probably don’t understand.”
This particular missive was targeted at an X poster with a small following. And yet Musk’s real nemesis on this issue is a man with far more power, influence, and bureaucratic savvy: Stephen Miller.
Miller is a staunch anti-immigration ideologue who effectively oversaw immigration policy in the first Trump administration as a senior White House aide. He spent Trump’s first term mastering the workings of the federal bureaucracy and was one of only a handful of high-level appointees to remain in the boss’s good graces. He will remain in Trump’s second term Another high-level introductionAs deputy White House chief for policy.
As I wrote in a September profile, Miller is the architect of Trump’s mass deportation agenda — but he’s pushed hard to limit legal immigration, especially with H-1B visas, despite his boss’ occasional Conflicting emotions In Trump’s first term on the issue, Miller was adamant enough that he finally got his way: The administration referred to the pandemic as “temporary.” Suspend all H-1B visas When creating design rules The program is severely limited.
So Musk may be encouraged by the largely positive comments about H-1B visas Trump said this to a reporter On Saturday — the president-elect said he “believes in H-1B” — the real question is: Can Musk win the policy battle with Miller?
Why MAGA fans start attacking each other on X over H-1B visas during the holidays
The GOP coalition has long been divided over high-skilled immigration. The party’s pro-business group has supported it, arguing that it brings in the best talent and helps American companies succeed and compete globally. But the nativist or populist right opposes it as a plot by the cosmopolitan elite to avoid paying American workers. Trump draws this divide, often praise H1-B visaRecruiters like Miller Worked to limit them. (“Big Tech Is Replacing Americans,” Miller Tweeted last year.)
The divide took on a new dynamic this summer, when several wealthy tech figures — viz musk And David Sacks – Endorsed Trump. appeared on All-inA podcast hosted by Sachs and other venture capitalists, Trump was pressed To commit to expanding high-skilled immigration. “I promise,” Trump said. He also thought (without asking) that international students graduating from US colleges should “automatically” get a green card to stay and work. (Later, his campaign backtracked on this, saying that only “the most accomplished graduates who can make a significant contribution” would be allowed to stay after “aggressive vetting”.)
After the election, Trump named Musk and former biotech CEO Vivek Ramaswamy to head the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an outside advisory body that would issue recommendations on how the administration should cut regulations and spending. Trump also called Sachs an “AI and crypto czar.”
Far-right activist and provocateur Laura Lumar started the current brouhaha last week after Trump announcement Another venture capitalist, Sriram Krishnan, will work on AI policy in the White House. Loomer to call The appointment is “deeply disturbing.” He pointed to a November X post in which Krishnan wrote that “removing country caps for green cards/anything to unlock skilled immigration would be huge,” saying it’s “not an America First policy.”
From there, the conflict escalated:
- the sack to protect Krishnan, but attacks by Lumar and his supporters continued, many taking on an ugly racial or ethnic dynamic (approx. 70 percent recent H-1B recipients from India).
- Loomer Condemnation “Third world invaders from India,” said “our country was built by white Europeans,” and asked “why do people in India still bathe and slurp the water they drink from?”
- Musk got involved, emphasis that “there is a persistent shortage of excellent engineering talent,” calling it “a fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.” He also issued The aforementioned “FUCK YOURSELF in the face” post and promised to “go to war on this issue you probably don’t understand.”
- Trump’s former White House adviser Steve Bannon to call Kasturi is a “child” who requires a “wellness check” from Child Protective Services and said There should be “zero H-1B visas”.
Finally, Ramaswamy contested the election A long x postArguing that “top tech companies hire foreign-born and first-generation engineers more often than ‘native’ Americans” is that “American culture has long valued mediocrity over excellence.” He decried the idea of evaluating “jocks on the valedictorian” and criticized American cultural products such as TV shows. Boy Meets World And friends — 2014 Film Appreciation Instead Whiplashwhich depicts the psychological abuse of a coach of a jazz drummer aspiring to artistic greatness (conducted by a Harvard classmate of Ramaswami)
As for Miller, he clearly didn’t weigh in. But later Miller in Ramaswamy’s post Posted in XWithout explanation, the quote was from a 2020 speech when Trump praised the culture and achievements of the American people, calling them “the bravest and most confident people to walk the face of the earth.”
Some nativists on the right, Like BannonMiller interpreted the post as a rebuttal to Ramaswamy — and a reminder of who really holds the power in the White House. Miller, who oversaw the White House speech office, could have a hand in shaping Trump’s words there — just as he will have a big role in shaping immigration policy in 2025 and possibly beyond.
Can Musk eliminate Miller?
Now, if you believe what Trump is currently saying, he is pro-H-1B. “I have always liked visas, I have always been in favor of visas. That’s why we have them, “Trump told the New York Post saturday “I have many H-1B visas on my property. I believe in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program,” he continued. (However, the The New York Times (reported that Trump appears to have “used only sparingly” the H-1B — but his companies have often used the very different H-2 visa “for jobs like cooks, housekeepers and waiters.”)
But Trump has spoken more negatively about this program before. “We should end it,” he said said in 2016, calling it “too bad for workers”. he said in a promotional statement That March.)
And the biggest problem for Musk and his tech aides is that if they want the H-1B expansion, they’ll have to go through Miller, a strong opponent.
Trump has sent mixed signals on legal immigration, but Miller made his agenda clear: He wants a lot less of it. In 2020, when Trump announced a “temporary” moratorium on legal immigration during the pandemic, Miller Allies are told in person It was the first step in a larger strategy: “The most important thing is to stop the call for new migrant workers,” he said.
And unlike Bannon and ideological allies like Miller’s onetime boss Jeff Sessions, who fell out of favor with Trump after leaving government, Miller has survived, seemingly permanently in Trumpworld — being dubbed “Immigration President.”
It is partly because of his attention to bureaucratic minutiae that he wielded such enormous policy influence in Trump’s first term. he can get Other appointees were fired, in part because he helped craft Trump’s words in prepared speeches, and in part because he was staunchly loyal to the boss and aware of alliances with other top officials. But mostly that was because other staffers believed, with good reason, that he and Trump had the same mind on immigration — that he was speaking for the boss.
So VCs and tech executives who have recently joined Trump’s coalition and hope to be rewarded with their favored H-1B policy changes will face the challenge of getting past Miller. Trump may say things, but Miller is the one who turns those things into policy, and who knows how to slow-walk or squelch proposals he doesn’t like. As long as Miller is on Trump’s side, and as long as he is effectively in charge of immigration policy, betting on restrictionism is the only reasonable bet.
Finally, there’s another twist to this messy saga — shortly before the dispute erupted last week, Trump announced that he would pick a new appointee to join Musk and Ramaswamy at DOGE.
His name? Katie Miller – Stephen’s wife. “Congratulations to Stephen and Katie!” President-elect Trump wrote.
