"Late last year, Elon Musk inflamed a brutal schism in MAGA-world after promising he would "go to war" to defend the H-1B visa system. Now, as Donald Trump imposes a $100,000 charge on each new application, Musk is quiet - and smiling alongside the president at Charlie Kirk's funeral. The war over Christmas The Tesla and SpaceX chief has long been one of Silicon Valley's most prominent defenders of the H-1B program, which allows U.S. companies to bring in skilled workers when no domestic candidates can be found."
""There is a dire shortage of extremely talented and motivated engineers in America," Musk posted on Christmas Eve. "If you force the world's best talent to play for the other side, America will LOSE." When hard-liners in the MAGA movement attacked the program as un-American, Musk lashed back in profane terms: "Take a big step back...I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend.""
"Far-right activist Laura Loomer led the charge, blasting Krishnan as a threat to Trump's "America First" agenda, while allies like Matt Gaetz derided "tech bros" for shaping immigration policy. That led to Musk, who said he entered the U.S. himself on an H-1B visa as a South African-born entrepreneur, to enter into the debate. His posts ignited a bitter MAGA feud, unleashing vitriolic and often racist attacks on H-1B immigrants - particularly Indians, who make up 71% "
Elon Musk publicly defended the H-1B visa program and vowed to "go to war" to protect it, creating a sharp split within MAGA circles. President Trump imposed a $100,000 charge on each new H-1B application while Musk remained publicly subdued and appeared smiling beside Trump at Charlie Kirk's funeral. The appointment of Sriram Krishnan as AI senior policy director triggered backlash from hard-line MAGA figures who oppose skilled-immigration expansion. Activists like Laura Loomer and Rep. Matt Gaetz attacked the program. Musk noted he entered the U.S. on an H-1B and warned that restricting skilled immigration risks American competitiveness, and his posts provoked vitriol and racist attacks against immigrants.
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