Elon Musk clarifies position on H-1B visas, says “those who want America to win…”

Billionaire Elon Musk has pointed out his “consistent stance on immigration” amid a spat with MAGA traditionalist Laura Loomer over H1B visas.

A user on X posted a post by Musk from 2023, which advocated “increasing legal immigration”. Musk boosted it, adding: “This is the right position for those who want America to win. For those who want America to lose for their own personal gain, I have no respect. Zero.”

The newly elected President of the United States, Donald Trump, has remained silent while his two camps – the hardliners and the technocrats – are fighting publicly on social media.

American immigration debate

Musk’s bid for clarification comes amid a spat with MAGA traditionalist Laura Loomer on X. In several tweets, Tesla’s CEO, who is also a Trump supporter, has sought to distinguish between “highly skilled workers” and those he claims drag advantage of the system.

“Perhaps this is a helpful clarification: I’m referring to bringing in the top ~0.1% of engineering talent via legal immigration as being critical to America continuing to win. It’s like bringing in the Jokic’s or Wemby’s of the world in to help your entire team (which is mostly Americans!) win the NBA,” he wrote.

The world’s richest man compared the United States and its talent to a sports team, saying: “To think of America as a professional sports team that has been winning for a long time and wants to keep winning is the right mental construct.”

In another post on X, he again pushed the sports team analogy, stating, “The number of people who are super skilled engineers AND super motivated in the US is way too low. Think of this like a professional sports team: If you want your TEAM to to win the championship, you have to recruit top talent wherever they are. It makes it possible for the whole TEAM to win.” (sic)

MAGA Split is expanding

Meanwhile, in several posts, Loomer has accused Musk of limiting the reach of her X account and claimed that her verification badge was removed by the billionaire for speaking out against him.

“Because @elonmusk has censored my account in retaliation for speaking out about Big Tech and immigration. He removed my tick and canceled all my subscriptions. We are witnessing totalitarian censorship. I am deeply disturbed by what is happening. MAGA is under attack,” she claimed.

Meanwhile, Musk told X users they could see their reach affected if many “trusted and verified” accounts had muted or blocked them. Loomer was not directly mentioned. “Just a reminder that the algorithm is trying to maximize uncomplained user seconds. If far more credible, verified subscriber accounts (not bots) mute/block your account compared to those who like your posts, your reach will drop significantly,” he said.

About H-1B visas

Musk and Loomer’s main point of contention has been the H-1B visa.

The H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant visa that allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical and technical expertise.

It is worth noting that not all professionals are eligible for an H-1B visa. This visa covers professions related to areas such as IT, engineering, mathematics, science and medicine. It is valid for three years and can be extended up to six years.