Trump’s immigration plans could spark a “tech brain drain,” Wired worries.
Most of Trump’s proposals seem more likely to affect vulnerable lower-skilled workers—most notably a border wall between the US and Mexico and a pledge to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. But his conflicting statements on the H-1B program have stirred uncertainty and anxiety among workers like Garnier. Trump has said that he wants to keep highly skilled workers in the US, but also said of the H-1B program during a debate, “It’s unfair for our workers, and we should end it.”
Just last week, Trump nominated Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, a top H-1B opponent, to be his attorney general. And in a video released Monday night, Trump said reforming “abuses of visa programs that undercut the American worker” is among his top action items for his first 100 days in office.
This type of doublespeak isn’t unusual for President-elect Trump, but it’s altogether unnerving for Garnier. “I’d like to be able to plan my future and my career, and all that uncertainty is making it hard and stressful,” he says. “This administration is going to pretty much decide where I can live and work and what I do with my life.”