US President-elect Donald Trump has appointed immigration hardline and close aide Stephen Miller as White House deputy chief of staff for policy. Confirming Miller’s appointment, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance on Monday congratulated the incoming deputy chief of staff for policy at X and called him “another wonderful selection by the President.”
Mr. Miller was part of the President-elect’s first administration and served as his senior adviser and director of speech-writing at the White House. He was also a central figure behind many of Mr Trump’s policies on immigration, including the Muslim travel ban and the 2018 family separation policy.
Miller’s stance on H-1B visa
Known for his extremist rhetoric, Mr. Miller was a frequent presence during the president-elect’s 2024 campaign, often being seen speaking at Mr. Trump’s rallies. Addressing Mr Trump’s infamous Madison Square Garden rally in New York, which saw about 19,500 Americans in attendance, Mr Miller told the crowd that “America is for Americans and Americans only” and “Restore America to true Americans. Promised to do.
During an interview with The New York Times last year, Mr. Miller insisted that if Mount Trump were re-elected, his administration would introduce policies to restrict legal and illegal immigration. He also talked about a plan to detain undocumented immigrants in camps awaiting deportation.
During Trump’s first administration, Miller helped draft the Cruz-Sessions bill, which would have banned international students with master’s or bachelor’s degrees from working in the U.S. in H-1B status for at least 10 years. Did it.
Now in his new role in Trump 2.0, Mr. Miller is expected to continue his advocacy for restrictive immigration policies, including limits on H-1B visas. They argue that the H-1B program could lead to displacement of American workers and wage suppression.
Trump administration and immigration
The Trump administration’s stance on immigration has often been at odds with the economic consensus, which suggests that the US economy benefits from skilled immigrants and international students. As president, Mr. Trump took no measures to expand access to H-1B visas, and his second term will likely be similar. Policies introduced during his presidency saw visa denial rates increase and narrowed the definition of “specialty occupation”, reducing the number of positions eligible for H-1B workers.
In 2020, before Mr. Trump left office, his administration published a restrictive H-1B rule, which was blocked by a court for violating the Administrative Procedure Act. According to a report by Forbes, the rule included several provisions meant to prevent companies from employing foreign-born scientists and engineers, such as changing who and what positions can qualify for H-1B specialty occupations .
Continuing his previous administration’s agenda, Mr. Trump has appointed former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director Tom Homan as his administration’s “border czar.” In a post on his Truth social platform, the president-elect said Homan will oversee maritime and aviation security as well as America’s border security. He also said Mr. Homan would oversee deportation policies.
Miller and Homan are expected to work together to enforce the Trump administration’s restrictive immigration measures.
Forbes reports that if President Joe Biden’s administration does not finalize the H-1B “modernization” rule before leaving the Oval Office, the new Trump administration will base the H-1B rule on its own priorities rather than the Biden team’s priorities. Can issue with.
According to the report, the new rule will be far more restrictive than the existing H-1B regulation or the US Citizenship and Immigration Services proposed in October 2023.
