Three Indian American tech figures have spoken to Newsweek about the value of bringing skilled workers to the U.S. on H-1B visas amid MAGA attacks on the program.
The "blowback reflects a deep misunderstanding of the value that skilled immigrant workers bring the U.S. economy," Prem Bhandari, an entrepreneur and philanthropist based in New York, told Newsweek.
"Countries like India have a proven track record of producing top-tier talent in fields like engineering, technology, and medicine," he said, adding that the contributions of such talent "are not a threat, but a critical driver of innovation and economic growth in America."
The comments come as a growing rift has emerged between factions of President-elect Donald Trump's supporters over the H-1B visa program, which allows companies to employ foreign workers in specialist occupations.
Billionaire Elon Musk and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who Trump has tasked with findings ways to cut the federal government, have defended the tech industry's need to bring in highly skilled foreign workers. Musk said there were not enough "super talented" engineers in the U.S. and Ramaswamy criticized American culture for venerating "mediocrity over excellence."
The debate began when Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and Trump ally with a history of racist comments, criticized Trump's selection of Sriram Krishnan as an adviser on artificial intelligence policy in his incoming administration, saying Krishnan's views were "in direct opposition to Trump's America First Agenda." Krishnan has advocated for raising country-specific caps on green cards and bringing more skilled workers to the U.S.
But it has grown into a MAGA civil war, exposing divisions between Trump's supporters in the tech world like Musk who believe skilled legal migration is necessary and boosts the U.S. economy and those in Trump's base who support his hard-line immigration policies and think the H-1B visa program comes at the expense of American workers and want it to be curtailed.
Trump told The New York Post on Saturday that he supports H-1B visas. "I've always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That's why we have them," he said.
Bhandari told Newsweek that the anti-Indian and anti-immigrant sentiment from some Trump supporters could discourage some skilled workers from seeking opportunities in the U.S.
"It risks alienating future talent who may perceive the U.S. as unwelcoming. To remain competitive, the U.S. needs to reaffirm its commitment to diversity and meritocracy, irrespective of political affiliations," he said.
He added that skilled workers from abroad "fill critical gaps" in the U.S. workforce, ensuring the country maintains its competitive edge in industries like artificial intelligence, software development, and biotechnology.
"This is not about replacing American workers, but complementing and strengthening the talent pool," he said.
Bhandari said the H-1B visa program needs to be "modernized and expanded, not restricted.
"It is essential to focus on merit-based reforms that ensure fairness while continuing to attract the best global talent," he said. "Simplifying processes, removing arbitrary caps, and addressing issues like green card backlogs would make the system more efficient and equitable."
Indian American entrepreneur B.G. Mahesh also told Newsweek that the H-1B program needs to be expanded, adding that most technology companies "cannot grow" without skilled foreign workers.
"Any country needs the best of the best minds, irrespective of the country of origin," he said. "But it is important that those legal immigrants respect the local culture, which the Indian immigrants do."
He noted the number of people allowed into the U.S. on H-1B visas is "minuscule" compared to the U.S. population, which is more than 330 million. The U.S. caps the number of H-1B visas at 65,000 new visas each year, but an additional 20,000 can be granted for those with a master's degree or higher.
Sam Iyengar, a partner at MetaValue Advisors, a technology advisory and solutions company, told Newsweek that U.S. will continue to need more skilled workers "given that tech innovation lies at the heart of U.S. growth."
He said he "didn't entirely agree" with Ramaswamy's comments about American culture. "Innovation is equally about a culture that values boldness, strong vision, deep conviction and independent thinking. Here India and Asia are way behind," he said.
Iyengar said that he believes the H-1B visa program "must be selective, not for Indian IT body shoppers, but for qualified folks in specialized fields where the U.S. is falling short."
He added that he believes the current online outrage over the program is a "storm in a teacup" that "will give way to a more thoughtful approach to doing what is right for the U.S., long term."
Mahesh added that the U.S. needs to source the top talent from abroad to maintain its leading position in the technology sector—or risk losing those individuals to rival nations.
"The U.S. economy is the largest in the world," he said. "That directly translates to jobs, especially tech jobs. With digitization on the rise all over the world, every country needs a lot more engineers, especially tech professionals. Engineers from India are largely in the tech field, very less in the non-tech sector."
The U.S. wants "to attract the best minds year on year and local universities aren't generating sufficient numbers of engineers to meet their demand," he said.
"America has always dominated the technology space and wants to maintain that position of leadership. It is in its best interest to seek and encourage the most talented professionals from across the globe to contribute, live and work in America."
English (US) ·