Trump defends skilled foreign workers even as his H-1B crackdown sparks backlash

US President Donald Trump defended the need for skilled foreign workers even as his administration continues to make it harder for companies to bring them in under existing visa programs.

Speaking to Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Trump was questioned about whether his administration was sidelining the H-1B visa, a system long used by technology and manufacturing firms to hire highly skilled workers from abroad. Ingraham argued that curbing visas would help raise wages for American workers.

“You also do have to bring in talent,” Trump countered. When Ingraham said the U.S. already had “plenty of talented people here,” Trump replied, “No.”

“You don’t have certain talents. And you have to, people have to learn. You can’t take people off, like an unemployment line, and say, ‘I’m going to put you into a factory. We’re going to make missiles,’” he said.

Trump’s comments came months after his administration introduced a $100,000 application fee for the H-1B visa, a move that has rattled U.S. employers and prompted a lawsuit from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The visa is widely used by major corporations, particularly in the technology sector, to bring in engineers and data scientists from countries such as India.

A broader immigration crackdown

The fee hike is part of Trump’s broader immigration crackdown, which has included mass deportations and the deployment of federal troops to assist immigration officers in major cities. Business groups warn the policy could worsen labour shortages and drive skilled hiring offshore.

Companies are also becoming increasingly reluctant to sponsor work visas for international students, closing a long-standing pathway from US universities into the country’s workforce.

Trump’s hardline approach has strained relations with several allies, including South Korea. A September raid on a Hyundai-LG Energy battery plant in Georgia led to the detention of over 300 South Korean workers accused of working illegally, drawing protests from Seoul.