Elon Musk vs. Stephen Miller: Washington Readies for Clash Over Advanced Tech Immigration
Tech lobbyists recognize a unique chance to attract new high-skilled workers, but they face significant challenges due to a strong prevailing sentiment within the GOP.
TroibNews 
High-tech companies, with Elon Musk seemingly on their side, are preparing to urge the incoming Trump administration to allow more high-skilled immigrants into the U.S. This initiative may create tension with nativist figures in Trump's circle who aim to limit immigration at all costs.
During Donald Trump’s first term, Silicon Valley firms emphasized the significance of high-skilled immigration to Washington but faced opposition from figures like Stephen Miller, a prominent player in the first Trump administration, who is now positioned to serve as White House deputy chief of staff for policy.
However, the tech lobby now counts Musk, a substantial Trump donor and confidant, as a new ally. Following the election, he has advocated for changes to simplify the immigration process for “super talented people.”
Newly supportive Trump backers from Silicon Valley, such as venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, have prioritized high-skilled immigration in their Washington agenda. Their growing influence has already made an impact, as Trump himself hinted at the possibility of granting green cards to talented students earlier this year.
“We definitely see it as an opportunity,” stated Linda Moore, president and chief executive of the industry group TechNet.
Silicon Valley regards the impending administration and GOP congressional majority as its best chance in years to advance policies that would allow more immigrants with specialized skills in science, technology, engineering, and math. Although it may seem counterintuitive, Trump’s previous stance on illegal immigration might provide him with a unique platform to advocate for legal immigration, especially framed as a strategy to enhance America’s competitiveness.
“In the same way that it took Nixon to go to China — because he was tough on China — President Trump may have an interesting opportunity” to rally the GOP around high-skilled immigration, noted Vivek Chilukuri, director of the technology and national security program at the Center for a New American Security think tank.
However, the tech lobby and Musk are not the only voices advising Trump on STEM immigration. Immigration restrictionists, informally led by Miller, are also advising the president-elect, cautioning that foreign STEM workers could take jobs from Americans and drive down wages in high-tech sectors. They had a significant role during Trump's previous presidency, when Miller influenced Trump to reduce the number of green cards issued and reject applications and extensions for H-1B and other skilled visas, resulting in the loss of skilled workers for some companies.
Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, believes that Trump is “definitely going to be more receptive to certain kinds of legal immigration expansion” than he was previously. He, along with other restrictionists, is closely monitoring the rising influence of tech billionaires on the president-elect and warns of the repercussions if Trump and congressional Republicans concede to their immigration demands.
“These tech lobbyists think they're going to be feeding at the trough, just making all kinds of demands because Elon is going to support them. They're in for a big surprise,” remarked Stein, adding that Trump “has to walk a very fine line so that people don't feel betrayed.”
Other restrictionists are also expressing concern. “Will the Trump administration kowtow to Silicon Valley CEOs or will it protect American tech workers? We shall see,” commented Eric Ruark, director of research at anti-immigration organization NumbersUSA.
For a long time, the tech lobby has advocated for increased numbers of STEM immigrants, typically through raising the annual cap for H-1B and other visas or by creating programs to enhance the availability of green cards, potentially linking them to diplomas earned by foreign students. A variety of tech interests, from microchip manufacturers to emerging artificial intelligence companies, contend that there aren’t enough skilled tech workers to adequately staff their operations or achieve the nation's long-term strategic objectives.
“AI, quantum, biotechnology — we can't snap our fingers tomorrow and create the STEM PhDs that we need to compete in all of these areas,” stated Chilukuri, whose nonprofit receives funding from tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google, as well as tech billionaires such as Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.
Amid increasing pressure from advancements in Chinese technology, Washington has gradually approached the issue of boosting high-skilled immigration in recent years. Nevertheless, efforts have often faltered — a bipartisan attempt to embed the issue in the CHIPS and Science Act fell apart in 2022 due largely to opposition from Republican senators.
This landscape has shifted with the potential for a Republican trifecta under a president who is both aligned with tech billionaires and firm on illegal immigration.
Some of Trump’s recent comments suggest a shift in his perspective on skilled immigration compared to his first term. In a June appearance on the All In podcast, hosted by several Silicon Valley venture capitalists, including Musk associate David Sacks, Trump suggested that foreign students graduating from U.S. colleges should “automatically” receive a green card, granting them permanent residency.
Industry lobbying for STEM immigration began almost immediately after Trump’s electoral victory. Aaron Levie, CEO of cloud software firm Box, tweeted that Musk “could single-handedly solve high-skilled immigration,” asserting that the close confidant of Trump could “push it through swiftly.” Musk responded by reposting the tweet, stating, “I agree.”
Musk did not reply to a request for comment. However, in an interview, Levie conveyed that Musk “personally has experienced” the significance of high-skilled immigration, both in seeking talent for Tesla and SpaceX and as a STEM immigrant himself. Levie indicated his intention to continue advocating for this issue via TechNet, which counts Box among its members.
Linda Moore, TechNet's CEO, noted that her organization is in talks with the Trump transition team about ways to enhance high-skilled immigration, which may involve reducing green card backlogs and encouraging Congress to pursue broader reforms. “We’ve got two months now to really affect a lot of things before the inauguration, and we’re certainly focused on that,” she commented.
Moore also stated that TechNet plans to engage Musk on high-skilled immigration through his and Vivek Ramaswamy’s new Department of Government Efficiency. “This sort of streamlining and speeding up of the processing of H-1Bs and other skilled visas, I would think that that will be in their realm,” she said. Other advocates for STEM immigration are also urging the new department to prioritize this issue.
Even leading Republicans on Capitol Hill are showing openness to the idea of a high-skilled immigration reform in the upcoming Congress. “We do need work visas. We need to encourage legal immigration,” House Speaker Mike Johnson remarked in mid-November.
Johnson’s remarks prompted a backlash from NumbersUSA, which cautioned the GOP leader that the “American people just decisively voted for lower immigration levels.” Stein from FAIR predicted that Miller, among others, will exert significant influence opposing major increases in high-skilled immigration, asserting that Miller “is not a shrinking violet.”
Miller did not respond to a request for comment.
Stein noted that restrictionists may not be fundamentally opposed to a limited increase in high-tech immigration, particularly for exceptional candidates. Nevertheless, he stressed that any adjustments should coincide with much stricter enforcement of immigration laws at every level, alongside commitments from major tech firms to invest their profits into domestic STEM education initiatives.
“The kind of promises that need to be extracted out of these tech companies are a lot different than just talking about $10 million for a training program,” Stein explained. “There needs to be a wholesale revision in how these companies deal with what's happening in elementary school and middle school and high school and everything else.”
Christine Mui contributed to this report.
Olivia Brown for TROIB News
During Donald Trump’s first term, Silicon Valley firms emphasized the significance of high-skilled immigration to Washington but faced opposition from figures like Stephen Miller, a prominent player in the first Trump administration, who is now positioned to serve as White House deputy chief of staff for policy.
However, the tech lobby now counts Musk, a substantial Trump donor and confidant, as a new ally. Following the election, he has advocated for changes to simplify the immigration process for “super talented people.”
Newly supportive Trump backers from Silicon Valley, such as venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, have prioritized high-skilled immigration in their Washington agenda. Their growing influence has already made an impact, as Trump himself hinted at the possibility of granting green cards to talented students earlier this year.
“We definitely see it as an opportunity,” stated Linda Moore, president and chief executive of the industry group TechNet.
Silicon Valley regards the impending administration and GOP congressional majority as its best chance in years to advance policies that would allow more immigrants with specialized skills in science, technology, engineering, and math. Although it may seem counterintuitive, Trump’s previous stance on illegal immigration might provide him with a unique platform to advocate for legal immigration, especially framed as a strategy to enhance America’s competitiveness.
“In the same way that it took Nixon to go to China — because he was tough on China — President Trump may have an interesting opportunity” to rally the GOP around high-skilled immigration, noted Vivek Chilukuri, director of the technology and national security program at the Center for a New American Security think tank.
However, the tech lobby and Musk are not the only voices advising Trump on STEM immigration. Immigration restrictionists, informally led by Miller, are also advising the president-elect, cautioning that foreign STEM workers could take jobs from Americans and drive down wages in high-tech sectors. They had a significant role during Trump's previous presidency, when Miller influenced Trump to reduce the number of green cards issued and reject applications and extensions for H-1B and other skilled visas, resulting in the loss of skilled workers for some companies.
Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, believes that Trump is “definitely going to be more receptive to certain kinds of legal immigration expansion” than he was previously. He, along with other restrictionists, is closely monitoring the rising influence of tech billionaires on the president-elect and warns of the repercussions if Trump and congressional Republicans concede to their immigration demands.
“These tech lobbyists think they're going to be feeding at the trough, just making all kinds of demands because Elon is going to support them. They're in for a big surprise,” remarked Stein, adding that Trump “has to walk a very fine line so that people don't feel betrayed.”
Other restrictionists are also expressing concern. “Will the Trump administration kowtow to Silicon Valley CEOs or will it protect American tech workers? We shall see,” commented Eric Ruark, director of research at anti-immigration organization NumbersUSA.
For a long time, the tech lobby has advocated for increased numbers of STEM immigrants, typically through raising the annual cap for H-1B and other visas or by creating programs to enhance the availability of green cards, potentially linking them to diplomas earned by foreign students. A variety of tech interests, from microchip manufacturers to emerging artificial intelligence companies, contend that there aren’t enough skilled tech workers to adequately staff their operations or achieve the nation's long-term strategic objectives.
“AI, quantum, biotechnology — we can't snap our fingers tomorrow and create the STEM PhDs that we need to compete in all of these areas,” stated Chilukuri, whose nonprofit receives funding from tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google, as well as tech billionaires such as Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.
Amid increasing pressure from advancements in Chinese technology, Washington has gradually approached the issue of boosting high-skilled immigration in recent years. Nevertheless, efforts have often faltered — a bipartisan attempt to embed the issue in the CHIPS and Science Act fell apart in 2022 due largely to opposition from Republican senators.
This landscape has shifted with the potential for a Republican trifecta under a president who is both aligned with tech billionaires and firm on illegal immigration.
Some of Trump’s recent comments suggest a shift in his perspective on skilled immigration compared to his first term. In a June appearance on the All In podcast, hosted by several Silicon Valley venture capitalists, including Musk associate David Sacks, Trump suggested that foreign students graduating from U.S. colleges should “automatically” receive a green card, granting them permanent residency.
Industry lobbying for STEM immigration began almost immediately after Trump’s electoral victory. Aaron Levie, CEO of cloud software firm Box, tweeted that Musk “could single-handedly solve high-skilled immigration,” asserting that the close confidant of Trump could “push it through swiftly.” Musk responded by reposting the tweet, stating, “I agree.”
Musk did not reply to a request for comment. However, in an interview, Levie conveyed that Musk “personally has experienced” the significance of high-skilled immigration, both in seeking talent for Tesla and SpaceX and as a STEM immigrant himself. Levie indicated his intention to continue advocating for this issue via TechNet, which counts Box among its members.
Linda Moore, TechNet's CEO, noted that her organization is in talks with the Trump transition team about ways to enhance high-skilled immigration, which may involve reducing green card backlogs and encouraging Congress to pursue broader reforms. “We’ve got two months now to really affect a lot of things before the inauguration, and we’re certainly focused on that,” she commented.
Moore also stated that TechNet plans to engage Musk on high-skilled immigration through his and Vivek Ramaswamy’s new Department of Government Efficiency. “This sort of streamlining and speeding up of the processing of H-1Bs and other skilled visas, I would think that that will be in their realm,” she said. Other advocates for STEM immigration are also urging the new department to prioritize this issue.
Even leading Republicans on Capitol Hill are showing openness to the idea of a high-skilled immigration reform in the upcoming Congress. “We do need work visas. We need to encourage legal immigration,” House Speaker Mike Johnson remarked in mid-November.
Johnson’s remarks prompted a backlash from NumbersUSA, which cautioned the GOP leader that the “American people just decisively voted for lower immigration levels.” Stein from FAIR predicted that Miller, among others, will exert significant influence opposing major increases in high-skilled immigration, asserting that Miller “is not a shrinking violet.”
Miller did not respond to a request for comment.
Stein noted that restrictionists may not be fundamentally opposed to a limited increase in high-tech immigration, particularly for exceptional candidates. Nevertheless, he stressed that any adjustments should coincide with much stricter enforcement of immigration laws at every level, alongside commitments from major tech firms to invest their profits into domestic STEM education initiatives.
“The kind of promises that need to be extracted out of these tech companies are a lot different than just talking about $10 million for a training program,” Stein explained. “There needs to be a wholesale revision in how these companies deal with what's happening in elementary school and middle school and high school and everything else.”
Christine Mui contributed to this report.
Olivia Brown for TROIB News
