(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has publicly opposed H-1B visas, directly challenging Elon Musk and accusing corporations of exploiting the immigration system to replace American jobs with “low-wage indentured servants from abroad.”
Sanders made his position known Thursday in a press statement shared on X, the same platform where Musk pledged to “go to war” in support of H-1B visas under the incoming Trump administration.
Musk argued that companies, including Tesla, use these visas to hire qualified candidates amid workforce shortages. Sanders disagrees.
“The main function of the H-1B visa program and other guest worker initiatives is not to hire ‘the best and the brightest,’ but rather to replace good-paying American jobs with low-wage indentured servants from abroad,” Sanders wrote. “The cheaper the labor they hire, the more money the billionaires make.”
Nikki Haley and Bernie Sanders are outflanking Elon and Vivek on H-1B
That's how bad the position is https://t.co/pQL8LUVPKK
— Auron MacIntyre (@AuronMacintyre) January 2, 2025
According to Sanders, the top 30 companies using H-1B visas have laid off around 85,000 American workers while simultaneously hiring over 34,000 foreign individuals through the program. He argued this undermines claims that the visas are critical to address labor shortages.
Sanders also correctly noted there are millions of Americans with advanced degrees in science and tech who are currently not employed in their fields.
“If there is really a shortage of skilled tech workers in America, why did Tesla lay-off over 7,500 American workers this year – including many software developers and engineers at its factory in Austin, Texas – while being approved to employ thousands of H-1B guest workers?” Sanders asked.
Bernie Sanders discusses how H-1B visas go to jobs like "teachers" and are widely exploited by India-focused IT outsourcing firms. Scorns Bill Gates lobbying for unlimited H-1Bs for Big Tech. This was over 17 years ago but could have been aired last week. pic.twitter.com/Fq93zgEnq4
— Lee Fang (@lhfang) December 31, 2024
His remarks came amid an online debate about the future of H-1B visas and whether President-elect Donald Trump would suspend the program after his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025.
Musk posted several affirmations on X supporting H-1B visas, stating that he entered the U.S. using a visa and attributing much of his companies’ success to the program. Tesla ranks 16th among companies employing the most H-1B visa workers.
Trump also expressed support for H-1B visas, noting that he has several employees in his properties under this program. The president-elect’s comments conflicted with some MAGA supporters who recalled videos from the 2016 election cycle where Trump seemed to disavow the program.
Trump lying about his stance on H1B visas:
“I didn’t change my mind on H1B visas…we need alot of people coming in to our country.” pic.twitter.com/m9ONBLiBk1
— Ancient Masculinity (@Ancient_Masc) January 1, 2025
“I didn’t change my mind,” Trump said in response to the online criticism on New Year’s Eve. “I’ve always felt we have to have the most competent people in our country, and we need competent people. We need smart people coming into our country. We need a lot of people coming in. We’re going to have jobs like we’ve never had before.”
BREAKING: Trump reiterates his support of H-1B visas, “We need a lot of people coming in.” pic.twitter.com/vci6Ishwdf
— Dominic Michael Tripi (@DMichaelTripi) January 1, 2025
