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Opinion
H-1B visa debate in the US reveals a policy dilemma for Trump
Tensions within the president-elect’s coalition over high-skilled immigration are symptomatic of larger problems in the US economy
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Mohammed Sinan Siyech completed his doctoral degree from the Islamic and Middle East Studies Department at the University of Edinburgh and is a non-resident associate fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi.
Last month, a digital battle erupted on X (formerly Twitter), splitting US president-elect Donald Trump supporters into two camps over immigration. One faction is calling for strict controls on all immigration while the other advocates for exceptions, particularly for highly skilled technical workers.
The debate centred around the coveted visa for skilled workers known as the H-1B. The unlikely target of anger: Silicon Valley’s Indian engineers.
Along with East Asians, Indians have long been hailed as a model minority in the United States. Many of them are highly skilled, work hard, stay out of trouble and integrate into American society. Nonetheless, they have become a target for the American far-right, raising questions about the US’ ambitions to maintain its superpower status.
In the 1960s, the US began loosening immigration laws, partly to attract talent from across the world. This process led to the entry of significant numbers of Indian scientists, doctors and eventually software engineers.
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