The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board praised President-elect Donald Trump for supporting H-1B visas.
Trump on Saturday sided with key supporter and billionaire tech CEO Elon Musk in a public dispute over the use of the H-1B visa, saying he fully backs the program for foreign tech workers opposed by some of his supporters.
Trump's remarks followed a series of social media posts from Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, who vowed late Friday to go to "war" to defend the visa program for foreign tech workers.
On Friday, Steve Bannon, a longtime Trump confidante, critiqued "Big Tech oligarchs" for supporting the H-1B program and cast immigration as a threat to Western civilization.
Other immigration hardliners have increasingly pushed for the H-1B visa program to be scrapped amid a heated debate over immigration and the place of skilled immigrants and foreign workers brought into the country on work visas.
"Mr. Trump is choosing the side of enlightened nationalism, as opposed to the blinkered, declinist version," the editorial board wrote. "These programs don't offend the rule of law or risk importing criminals."
H-1B visas help Americans bring in the best talent, as the country remains in a global competition for economic and technological leadership, the Journal argued.
"Studies show that when applicants are denied H-1Bs, they go abroad," the Journal said. "There have been some abuses of the H-1B program, but they are no reason to shrink or eliminate it. U.S. companies find it crucial to compete. And one way to reduce illegal immigration is to allow more legal pathways to meet the needs of the U.S. economy."
The program has helped the country thrive, "because it has invited talented newcomers from many nations who add to U.S. strength and vitality," the Journal wrote. "This is intelligent nationalism of the kind we assume Mr. Trump wants."
Information from Thompson/Reuters contributed to this report.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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