Recently, the Left has delighted in pointing out the internal contradictions and tensions within the MAGA movement, of which, admittedly, there are many. No doubt this Schadenfreude brings progressives some minimal comfort as conservatives, Republicans, and Trumpers – not to mention Trump himself – solidify their control over both chambers of Congress and the presidency.
The fact that there are debates and sometimes even heated disagreements on the right, however, does not mean that the incoming administration, and the movement it represents, will be ineffectual. Quite the contrary! As leftists seem long ago to have forgotten, dissent is healthy, and from these pointed discussions will emerge a set of Trump policies that have been purified of the kind of self-congratulatory idiocy that the closed system of progressivism so often produces.
A case in point is the current debate over H1-B visas, which are praised by many tech sector conservatives, like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, and roundly condemned by nationalist conservatives like Steve Bannon.
H1-B visas have existed since 1990. They give foreigners in “specialty occupations” the ability to come to the U.S. to work for sponsoring employers for a defined period, usually between three and six years. Every H1-B recipient must have at least a Bachelor's degree or equivalent qualifications, and he or she must receive a salary of at least $60,000/year. Hundreds of thousands of H1-B visa holders currently work in a range of occupations, especially in I.T.
From the Muskian perspective, the brain drain from developing countries to the United States, which brings us legions of the world's greatest inventors, innovators, and experts, provides enormous net benefits to the American economy and to the American way of life. From the nationalist perspective, U.S. companies should always employ Americans first, and they should never employ cheaper foreign labor at the expense of American workers.
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While these views may seem incompatible, the fact is that they are not. When programs like the H1-B visa scheme bring to America computer whizzes and other professionals who are unobtainable locally, they can add enormous strength to our most dynamic industries. When, however, U.S. companies fire or layoff their domestic employees (as was allegedly the case at Musk's own Tesla) to replace them with cheaper foreign H1-B worker drones, then the purpose of the scheme itself has been subverted, along with the standard of living of some of the most highly educated and skilled Americans.
While it may be tempting to slam the door shut against legal and illegal immigration simultaneously, given the flood of humanity that has poured across our borders in the last four years, that would not be right, and it would not be wise. What is needed is a thoughtful, balanced approach that emphasizes and perhaps even increases those types of immigration that strengthen America, and that curbs, or even completely ends, those types of immigration that disrespect our laws, undercut our wages, and ultimately serve no one's interests except those of the immigrants themselves.
For example, if we wish only to receive the world's “best and brightest” through the H1-B program, then why not increase the educational requirements to a Master's degree or better, or why not boost the minimum salary requirement to $100,000/year or more? Donald Trump himself has voiced support for this approach, which would hardly inconvenience the vast majority of existing H1-B visa holders or employers, since average salaries are already far in excess of this. No U.S. companies would be tempted to replace an American with a “cheap” foreigner, needless to say, if the foreigners who received H1-B visas were no longer cheap!
Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, and other conservatives in the tech sector and corporate America are not fools. They realize that the H1-B visa system needs reform, and they support laws and policies that aim to protect American economic interests and American workers, first and foremost. What they don't support – and none of us should – is a narrow-minded xenophobia that views all foreign talent, no matter how stellar, as suspect.
As some doors at our borders rightly slam shut, therefore, let's ensure that others remain open, and, in some cases, that new doors and pathways are created, always keeping in mind that a country of lawful and responsible immigration is what the United States of America was meant to be.
Dr. Nicholas L. Waddy is an Associate Professor of History at SUNY Alfred and blogs at: www.waddyisright.com. He appears on the Newsmakers show on WLEA/WYSL.
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