U.S. President Donald Trump has reaffirmed his support for bringing skilled foreign professionals into the United States, emphasizing that certain sectors of the economy rely on expertise that cannot be easily replaced by domestic labor.
In an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Trump dismissed the notion that restricting H-1B visa holders or limiting foreign workers would automatically lead to higher wages for American citizens.
He argued that highly technical industries, including defense, energy, and advanced manufacturing, depend on specialized skills that are not yet widespread among U.S. workers.
“You have to bring in talent,” he said. “When you don’t have certain talents, people have to learn and you can’t just take someone off the unemployment line and put them into a factory making missiles. It doesn’t work that way.”
Trump cited a recent case in Georgia, where authorities raided a facility employing South Korean experts in battery production, noting that such workers play a critical role in training Americans in complex and hazardous manufacturing processes.
“These are people who have made batteries all their lives,” Trump said. “It’s complicated, dangerous work; there are explosions and problems, and you need that kind of skill to train others. You can’t just replace them overnight.”
When Ingraham questioned whether prioritizing foreign labor might undermine efforts to raise wages for U.S. workers, Trump responded that while he fully supports better pay and employment opportunities for Americans, industrial competitiveness cannot be sustained without global expertise.
“You can’t tell a company investing $10 billion to build a plant that they’ll find everyone they need on the unemployment line,” he said. “That’s not how it works. There’s never been a country like ours — we need to stay strong, and part of that strength comes from talent.”
Balancing Policy and Practicality
Trump’s remarks highlight an ongoing tension between his administration’s “America First” immigration stance and the economic realities of industries that rely heavily on foreign technical talent. Despite a history of tightening visa regulations, Trump has often acknowledged the importance of maintaining access to global skills to ensure America’s industrial strength.
The president also defended the continued enrollment of international students in U.S. universities, describing their presence as both economically vital and beneficial to the country’s global engagement.
“You don’t want to cut half of the people, half of the students from all over the world that are coming into our country to destroy our entire university and college system. I don’t want to do that,” he said. “I actually think it’s good to have outside countries. Look, I want to be able to get along with the world.”
He warned that significantly reducing foreign student numbers would be “financially destructive,” potentially forcing many smaller and historically Black colleges to close. Trump also underscored the fiscal benefits international students bring to the education sector.
“It’s not that I want them, but I view it as a business,” he added, noting that foreign students pay “more than double” the tuition of domestic students and contribute trillions of dollars to the U.S. economy.
Background Context
Trump’s comments come despite earlier administrative actions that revoked thousands of visas, tightened entry requirements, and proposed limits on foreign student enrollments under the so-called “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.”
Several universities, including Harvard, have challenged these measures in court, arguing they threaten academic freedom and the nation’s long-term competitiveness.
According to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), India remains the second-largest source of international students globally, with over 330,000 Indian students enrolled in U.S. institutions during the 2023–2024 academic year, making India the top contributor to American higher education.
