H1B Visas, IMO, completely sell out the skilled American worker so that mega-rich tech companies, that were built off the backs of American tax payers and correlating opportunity, can avoid having to hire American workers who require promotions after tenure and correlating salary increases. This practice shouldn't be allowed.
Tech CEO's claim that the H1B program allows them to hire the "top .01%" of engineers. How we know it's bullshit is that H1B's recipients are selected in a lottery system... they're not vetted for anything that makes them the top 0.1%... they're simply cheap labor.
Every year, 250,000 young Americans graduate with degrees in engineering and computer science, yet tech companies claim they need H1B's to fill a massive void that exists in hiring engineers - lies. 85,000 H1B's are allotted yearly in the US with loopholes that allow for more creating "competition" for the young, skilled American worker that shouldn't exist. I put competition in quotations because it's really not... many young, skilled Americans with engineering degrees are having immense difficulties finding jobs.
In April 2024, Tesla laid off 14,000 engineers... the bulk of which were senior engineers making higher compensations. During these layoffs, Tesla put in a request for 2,000 H1B visas which represents 4% of the total allotment of H1B visas currently allowed in the US per year. H1B visas last from 3-6 years, meaning that companies are simply rotating immigrant workers out when their visas expire for more immigrant workers that they can continue to pay well under competitive compensation for engineers with experience and tenure. Not only that, but H1B workers are generally a lot more willing to work 60-80 weeks, which again... undercuts American standards for labor and compensation.
For years, Trump railed against H1B's in favor of opportunity for the American worker and labeled his campaign the "America First" campaign. In 2017, Trump issued the "Buy American, Hire American" executive order which required U.S. employers to pay U.S. workers higher wages to protect their economic interests against those of foreign workers. Trump also put in many measures aimed to restrict the approval of H1B's and many more were denied during his presidency.
Now, it appears Elon Musk is in Trump's ear... bought ass mother fucker. “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” - Trump on 12/28/2024. Such a fucking shill.
What shouldn't be lost in this conversation is also the cultural impact the influx of immigrant workers is having. Nearly 300,000 Indian immigrants make up the bulk of H1B visas holders in the US. Cities near tech hubs are being overrun by a population of people with little-to-no cultural connection to the places they're moving to. They make little effort to assimilate and instead are relegating themselves to ethnic enclaves that are transforming the identities of these cities. Not only that, but the influx of immigrants who make well over the median income in these areas are causing housing costs to explode... in particular, short-term rentals due to wages not being enough to purchase home and nature of a visa being temporary.
Like I said, I'm highly liberal... but being liberal or conservative should say nothing about whether you support the American worker. American workers should ALWAYS be the priority and tech companies are selling the American worker down the river. Not only that, but there needs to be assimilation programs in place to assist in the process of introducing these workers to their new environments if programs like this are going to exist.
I do believe that foreign workers should play a part and that these programs are fine so long as they are carefully crafted/vetted to not undercut opportunities for the American worker. As it sits, these programs are simply another way for the rich to become richer... that shouldn't be the goal. They should truly be about getting the highest skilled workers into the American workforce and in filling actual voids that exist.
