- Bernie Sanders waded into an ongoing debate between Elon Musk and some on the right over H-1B visas.
- Musk and the tech right generally support the visas, but some in the MAGA base oppose them.
- Sanders argued that the system allows corporations to exploit workers and enrich themselves.
Sen. Bernie Sanders is wading into the heated debate between Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, and the MAGA base over high-skilled immigration.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Vermont independent and two-time Democratic presidential candidate said Musk is wrong about the H-1B visa, which is designed to bring high-skilled workers from abroad to work in the United States.
Musk, Ramaswamy, and others on the “tech right” have argued that the system is necessary to compensate for a shortage of high-skilled workers in America, pitting them against more nationalist Republican voices who see the system as bringing unfair competition upon American workers.
Sanders argued on Thursday that the system is used to exploit foreign workers while enriching corporations.
Elon Musk is wrong.
The main function of the H-1B visa program is not to hire “the best and the brightest,” but rather to replace good-paying American jobs with low-wage indentured servants from abroad.
The cheaper the labor they hire, the more money the billionaires make. pic.twitter.com/Mwz7i9TcSM
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 2, 2025
“The main function of the H-1B visa program and other guest worker initiatives is not to hire ‘the best and the brightest,’ but rather to replace good-paying American jobs with low-wage indentured servants from abroad,” Sanders said, pointing to the fact that corporations have laid off American workers even as they’ve hired foreign workers through the H-1B system. “The cheaper the labor they hire, the more money the billionaires make.”
The Vermont senator called for a series of reforms to the system, including increasing guest worker fees for large corporations, raising the minimum wage for guest workers, and allowing them to easily switch jobs.
“The widespread corporate abuse of the H-1B program must be ended,” Sanders said. “It should never be cheaper for a corporation to hire a guest worker from overseas than an American worker.”
Trump has sided with Musk, saying that he supports the H-1B visa system. That’s despite him signing an executive order halting the program in 2020.
Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sanders has previously signaled a willingness to work with the billionaire businessman on cutting defense spending via the “Department of Government Efficiency” initiative, though he told BI that it remains to be seen how serious Musk is about the issue.
