US President Donald Trump may be revisiting one of his favourite battles: the H-1B visa. For long, he has advocated only for skilled resources in the US. But reality has dawned and better counsel has prevailed.
He admitted that some skills in the US cannot be conjured from the unemployment line.
This should excite Indians, universally acclaimed for their technical skills, engineering prowess, and knack for problem-solving. Of course, their expertise in many other areas like defence equipment is globally acknowledged.
During a conversation with a top media house, Trump defended the value of skilled immigrant workers. He said the US cannot repurpose long-term unemployed Americans for complex roles like manufacturing and defence without training.
“I agree, but you also have to bring this talent,” he was quoted as saying, when asked whether H-1B reform remains a major government priority.
Ingraham countered that the US has “plenty of talented people.” Trump’s reply was decisive. “No, you don’t. There are certain skills you don’t have, and people have to learn them. You can’t take people off the unemployment line and say, ‘I’m going to put you into a factory where we’re going to make missiles.’”
He cited the ICE raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia as an example. Hundreds of South Korean workers, arrested and deported during construction, had been responsible for battery production, a highly technical and dangerous process.
“They had people from South Korea that had made batteries all their life. Making batteries is very complicated and very dangerous — a lot of explosions, a lot of problems. They had like 500 or 600 people in the early stages to make batteries and to teach people how to do it,” he reportedly said.
He believed that several industries need specialised expertise that cannot be filled by untrained or long-term unemployed workers.
“You can’t just say a country is coming in, going to invest USD 10 billion to build a plant, and take people off the unemployment line who haven’t worked in five years, and they’re going to start making missiles. It doesn’t work that way,” he added.
Trump maintained that he supports raising wages for American workers. Still, he argued, the US must continue to “bring this talent” to maintain its industrial and technological edge.
The comments follow a major H-1B overhaul earlier this year. In September, the administration introduced a USD 100,000 fee for new visa applications, signalling a hard-line stance that now appears to be at least partially softened.
Also Read: Relief For Students, Tech Professionals As US Clarifies $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee https://www.vibesofindia.com/relief-for-students-tech-professionals-as-us-clarifies-100000-h-1b-visa-fee/
