The Trump administration recently suspended Microsoft, Adobe and other companies from a program that allows foreign workers to apply for green cards.

Such programs have frequently been targeted by some Trump supporters who argue they undercut American students and workers, said The Associated Press. Supporters say the programs allow the U.S. to attract the best talent from around the world and fill important hiring gaps.

Vice President J.D. Vance in a recent speech said U.S. workers were being replaced by “foreign indentured servants.”

Microsoft has pushed back against the administration, arguing most of its H-1B applications were for foreigners already in the country and the vast majority of its workforce are Americans.

Question: Is the Trump administration on the right path going after foreign worker programs?

Economists

Norm Miller, University of San Diego

NO: Federal research cuts have already weakened U.S. universities’ ability to attract global talent, reducing long‑term economic output. Further restricting H‑1B visas would be even more damaging and perverse. America’s major tech companies were built by innovators from around the world, far beyond our domestic talent pool. Entry into top U.S. research programs is already extremely difficult, and the country benefits when some of that elite talent stays to build new enterprises rather than returning home.

David Ely, San Diego State University

NO: Enacting barriers to hiring foreign-born workers weakens the capability of U.S. companies to compete in global markets. If American firms cannot hire the brightest and best-trained scientists, researchers and innovators in the world, global rivals will. This will diminish U.S. firms’ leadership in innovation. Moreover, U.S. economic growth falls short of its potential when international students with advanced degrees from American universities cannot remain and work after graduation.

Ray Major, economist

YES: It is unconscionable of large corporations to claim that they cannot find American workers to do specialized jobs when the unemployment rate of computer engineers stands at 7.8% (ages 22 to 27 years old), said the New York Federal Reserve. The H-1B program has been abused and used to reduce corporate costs, resulting in tens of thousands of American citizens losing their jobs to foreign workers. Furthermore, artificial intelligence continues to rapidly eliminate American jobs. Proactively managing the foreign workers program is the prudent course of action.

Caroline Freund, University of California-San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy

NO: Talent is one of the scarcest resources on the planet, and we should be competing for it. U.S. firms innovate because they can recruit from the world’s 8.3 billion people. China recruits from 1.4 billion. China graduates seven to 10 engineers (all Chinese) for every one in the U.S. In America, roughly one in three new engineering graduates is foreign-born. Cut off foreign talent, and we hand the tech race to China.

Kelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic Research

NO: After allowing millions of unvetted, unskilled migrants into the U.S., flooding the labor market for less-skilled, lower-wage jobs, it makes little sense to focus on preventing more desirable, highly skilled, higher-wage workers. It does not help the American economy to deny H-1B visas, costing tech sectors thousands of jobs and billions in missed wages. H1-B visas and other forms of skilled immigration are crucial for boosting innovation, patent numbers, startup businesses and increasing productivity.

James Hamilton, University of California-San Diego

NO: America’s universities and corporations lead the world in research and developing new technology. This is in no small part thanks to the fact that we have attracted some of the greatest minds and talents from around the world to help us do it. In attacking our highly successful system, the president is undermining his own goals of promoting U.S. exports and competitiveness.

Executives

Austin Neudecker, Weave Growth

NO: Attracting new, skilled citizens has always been fundamental to the American project. These individuals contribute far beyond their immediate jobs, driving innovation, creating businesses and generating economic opportunities for others. While concerns about wage suppression and program abuse warrant appropriate safeguards, restricting skilled immigration undermines our economic competitiveness. Rather than closing doors, we should redesign and expand merit-based pathways for talented immigrants who contribute to America’s long-term prosperity.

Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Health

NO: There can be a legitimate concern about protecting American workers but restricting foreign workers carries significant risks to industries like healthcare, science and technology that use these programs to make up for legitimate workforce shortages. However, companies using the H-1B visa process should prove that they are not displacing qualified American workers or suppressing wages.

Mark Kersey, San Diego County Taxpayers Association

NO: American companies need to be able to fill open positions, and there are times when foreign-born workers are a logical solution. No one wants to see American workers displaced, and if there is actual evidence of that occurring, those employers should be held accountable. But we live and conduct business in a global economy, and if foreign-born workers are the only option available for certain positions, they should be utilized.

Phil Blair, Manpower

NO: For our country to maintain its economic advantage of being the employer of choice for very creative, highly trained professional workers, we need to allow companies to hire the best they can find. Sometimes they may be in other countries. Sometimes it may be a limited-length visa, and the worker needs to go back home. Sometimes the worker is essential to their profession and needs to be extended or allowed to apply for citizenship. Think about the number of foreign-born doctors and nurses we now have and desperately need to keep here.

Gary London, London Group Realty Advisors

NO: To be sure, the H-1B and green card programs are flawed and arbitrary and need major fixing. But the fix cannot be to eliminate foreign workers. In fact, that is the very recipe if the goal is to diminish our economic output and deprive us of skilled workers. This nation cannot make up the skilled worker deficit by simply fully substituting in homegrown workers. This is yet another solution waiting for a problem.

Bob Rauch, R.A. Rauch & Associates

NO: The Trump administration is right to target fraud, protect U.S. workers and tighten the border, but its approach to legal high‑skill immigration is too aggressive. Policies like suspending green card processing and imposing massive H‑1B visa fees risk undermining innovation, universities and industries that rely on specialized talent. A more targeted strategy punishes abuse while preserving legitimate pathways. This would better balance labor protection with America’s long‑term competitiveness.

©2026 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Visit sandiegouniontribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.