'US Doesn't Have Enough Talent': Trump Defends H-1B Visa Plan After Fee Hike

US President Donald Trump appears to have softened his stance on his administration's aggressive immigration reforms, saying America needs to bring in foreign talent for certain fields. The Republican leader acknowledged that long-term unemployed Americans cannot be tasked with complex roles in sensitive sectors like defence without extensive training, and the US needs skilled foreign nationals to fill such roles. 

Trump was speaking to Fox News' Laura Ingraham when he was asked if his administration planned to deprioritise H-1B visas. He replied, "You do have to bring in talent."

When the host countered, "We have plenty of talent," Trump said, "No, you don't."

Also Read: US Launches 175 Probes Into 'Potential Abuse' Of H-1B Visa Program: Report

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

Indian workers received over 70 per cent of the total approved H-1B visas in 2024, primarily due to a huge backlog in approvals and a high number of skilled immigrants from India.

Also Read: US Adds New Grounds To Deny Visas: Obesity, Diabetes, Heart Disease

Trump's Crackdown On The H-1B Visa Programme

The American President's remarks came amid his administration's criticism of the H-1B visa programme amid a wide-ranging immigration crackdown. In September, Trump, through a proclamation, imposed a hefty fee of $100,000 on new H-1 B visa applications. 

Last week, the US Department of Labour (DOL) also launched at least 175 investigations into potential abuses within the H-1B visa programme. The initiative, dubbed 'Project Firewall', was launched to target companies allegedly exploiting the visa system, which allows US firms to hire foreign workers in speciality occupations such as information technology, engineering, and healthcare.

Also Read: Indian Manager Reveals Hardships Of Living On H-1B Visa In US: 'It Breaks Me'

In October, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that he was directing the state's Board of Governors to end the use of H-1B visas across state universities, saying that positions currently held by visa holders should be filled by Florida residents.

"Why are we bringing people in to assess our accreditation on an H-1B visa? We can't do that with our own people?" DeSantis said, adding that the practice amounts to "cheap labour" and calling on university leaders to reassess hiring practices.

Days later, the White House reiterated that President Donald Trump's priority in reforming the H‑1B visa programme is to put "American workers first" and vowed to fight lawsuits filed against the administration's crackdown.