White House Defends Trump’s H-1B Visa Stance
The Donald Trump administration said the president’s stance on the H‑1B visa programme is “nuanced and common-sense”. According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the policy supports bringing in foreign workers initially for specialist roles, but ultimately ensures those jobs transition to American workers.
Focus on American Workforce
Leavitt said Trump wants foreign investment that brings high-skilled roles, but emphasised that the long-term goal is “jobs for U.S. workers”. She added that foreign workers should “train Americans” and then make way for them, underlining the administration’s effort to prioritise domestic employment over replacing Americans with cheaper labour.
Context and Reforms
The administration’s comments come amid wider reforms of the H-1B system, including a reported increase in application fees and tougher enforcement of misuse. These reforms aim to curb what the White House calls “abuse” of the visa system and protect wage levels for American employees.
