Trump says skilled immigrants are needed to train Americans in complex industries.
He defended bringing foreign experts to US chip and missile plants despite conservative criticism.
Trump cited Hyundai battery plant as an example where foreign workers taught Americans specialised skills.
US President Donald Trump said he will “welcome” skilled foreign workers to the United States to train American employees in manufacturing complex products, including computer chips and missiles, acknowledging he might face criticism from parts of his political base that favour stricter immigration limits.
Speaking at the US-Saudi Investment Forum on Wednesday, attended by visiting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Trump highlighted that a number of “extremely complex” plants are being established in the US, which he said would contribute significantly to the country’s economic growth.
Given the intricate nature of products such as telephones, computers, and missiles being manufactured in these facilities, Trump said companies would need to bring skilled personnel from abroad to share knowledge and instruct American workers.
"And I may take a little heat. I always take a little heat from my people, the people that love me and the people that I love, they happen to be toward the right of centre, sometimes they are way right,” Trump said at the event.
PTI reported that Trump emphasised companies must bring foreign experts “to get those plants opened, we want you to do that, and we want those people to teach our people how to make computer chips and how to make other things.” He added, “They're going to have to bring thousands of people with them, and I'm going to welcome those people.”
He described those opposed to this approach as “really, really smart” and “unbelievable patriots” but argued they do not understand the necessity of training the American workforce.
“This is something they've never done, and we're not going to be successful if we don't allow people that invest billions of dollars in plants and equipment to bring a lot of their people from their country to get that plant open, operating and working. I'm sorry,” he said amid applause. “So my poll numbers just went down, but with smart people, they've gone way up. They've gone way up. And I mean that.”
Trump reiterated his support for his conservative base, saying, “I love MAGA, but this is MAGA,” in reference to his ‘Make America Great Again’ ideology.
“So for those of you that are doing the plants, you're going to have all the help you need, and you're going to do a great job, and you're going to teach our people how to do it, and our people are going to be just as good as your people ever were in not such a long period of time,” he said.
PTI reported how companies typically use H-1B and L1 visas to hire skilled foreign workers for specialised occupations in the US.
While the Trump administration has pursued a strict crackdown on illegal immigration, critics of the H-1B programme argue it displaces American workers and has been prone to abuse. Trump cited the Hyundai battery plant in Georgia, where law enforcement conducted an immigration raid in September, detaining hundreds of workers.
"Batteries are very dangerous to make. They're complex, much more complex than people understand. And they brought in, they spent a billion dollars to build a factory, and they were told to get out. And I said, ‘Stop it. Don't be stupid’. And we worked it out, and now they're teaching our people how to do it,” Trump said, according to PTI. He added that a large computer chip facility cannot be opened “with people that don't even know what a chip looks like.”
Earlier this month, Trump had defended the H-1B visa programme, stating America must attract global talent to fill specialised roles. “I agree but you also do have to bring in talent,” he told Fox News host Laura Ingraham. When she suggested the US already had sufficient talent, he replied, “No, you don’t, no you don’t. You don’t have certain talents. And people have to learn. You can't take people off an unemployment line, and say, ‘I'm going to put you into a factory, we're going to make missiles.'”
(With inputs from PTI)
