US President Donald Trump on Wednesday reaffirmed his support for high-skilled immigration, telling attendees at the US-Saudi Investment Forum that America cannot expect major technology investments to succeed without workers who already possess specialized expertise.
Although he emphasized his “love” for conservative supporters and the broader MAGA base, Trump pushed back against criticism of the H-1B visa programme, arguing that cutting off access to foreign talent would undermine billion-dollar manufacturing projects.
‘You Can’t Hire Off The Unemployment Line’
Trump pointed to the example of massive semiconductor plants being built in Arizona, noting that companies spending heavily on advanced chip facilities cannot simply rely on domestic labor without first bringing in trained professionals.
“You can’t come in, open a massive computer chip factory for billions and billions of dollars like is being done in Arizona, and think you’re gonna hire people off an unemployment line to run it,” he said. “They’re gonna have to bring thousands of people with them and I’m gonna welcome those people. This is MAGA.”
He added that foreign workers could help teach Americans the skills needed to eventually take over those roles before returning home. His remarks suggested frustration with members of his base who oppose allowing high-skilled workers into the country.
“They just don’t understand,” he said, appearing visibly annoyed. “People have to be taught this is something they’ve never done. But we’re not going to be successful if we don’t allow people that invest billions of dollars in plants and equipment to bring a lot of their people from their country to get that plant open, operating and working. I’m sorry.”
Why Some In MAGA Oppose H-1B
Skepticism of the H-1B programme has long run deep within the MAGA movement. Followers often argue that the system allows companies to replace American workers with cheaper foreign labor, a belief fueled by several high-profile incidents in which US employees said they were laid off and asked to train H-1B replacements.
Indian IT firms, which file the majority of H-1B applications each year, have become a particular target for critics who accuse them of enabling “offshoring from within” by providing lower-cost tech talent to American companies.
The movement also claims that widespread H-1B hiring suppresses wages for US engineers and programmers. Trump himself repeatedly labeled the programme a “cheap labour” pipeline during past campaigns, reinforcing those concerns among supporters.
Recent Visa Fee Crackdown
In September 2025, Trump signed a proclamation imposing a one-time $100,000 fee on every new H-1B petition filed on behalf of a foreign worker applying from outside the United States. After initial confusion over whether the levy affected current visa holders, the White House clarified that the charge applies only to new petitions submitted after 12:01 a.m. ET on September 21, and does not affect renewals or re-entries.
