Donald Trump and Elon Musk recently sparked an online debate over immigration policy. Both men suggested that the United States needs more high-skilled workers, but they also dismissed many other types of immigrants as unnecessary or unwanted. While their call for increasing legal immigration is right on the mark, their focus on only the most highly skilled newcomers ignores one key fact: the U.S. needs immigrants of many different skill levels to stay competitive and to cope with an aging population.
Trump’s Surprising Shift on Immigration
On New Year’s Eve, President-elect Donald Trump—long known for his tough stance on immigrants—surprised reporters at Mar-a-Lago by emphasizing the need for more immigrants.
“We need competent people, we need smart people coming into our country,” Trump said. “We need a lot of people coming in.”
What prompted this shift? It may have been triggered, in part, by criticism within Trump’s own online base. After he named venture capitalist Sriram Krishnan as a senior adviser for artificial intelligence, far-right influencer Laura Loomer objected because Krishnan had called for expanding skilled immigration. Loomer portrayed such policies as a threat to “American STEM students,” an argument that set off a fierce dispute between more tech-friendly conservatives (led by Elon Musk) and “ultranationalist” Trump supporters like Steve Bannon.
The MAGA Debate Over High-Skill Immigration
Musk, along with like-minded tech conservatives, argues that the American economy needs to recruit top global talent to remain innovative. Loomer’s faction, however, insists that foreign-born tech professionals displace native-born workers and drive down wages.
In reality, both sides have oversimplified the issue. Critics rightly point out that the H-1B visa system can reduce job opportunities for some native-born tech professionals, at least temporarily. Yet the anti-immigrant rhetoric from Loomer and others—where immigrants are described as “third world invaders”—does little to address the program’s legitimate flaws and instead veers into outright xenophobia.
On the other hand, Musk and other high-profile figures sometimes go too far in suggesting that only high-skilled immigrants “deserve” a place in the United States. Tesla’s CEO posted that:
“Anyone — of any race, creed, or nationality — who came to America and worked like hell to contribute to this country will forever have my respect.”
He also reiterated his belief that the U.S. needs more hard-working, honest immigrants who genuinely love America. Trump soon echoed this sentiment on Truth Social and in conversations with reporters.
A Broader Definition of “Worthwhile” Immigration
Despite Trump and Musk’s correct observation that America needs more legal immigration, they typically emphasize only high-skilled workers. This narrow framing ignores a crucial reality: many of today’s most talented and innovative people come from humble backgrounds, and they don’t always fit into a neat “high-tech” or “STEM” category at the time they arrive.
Historically, many immigrant families in the United States have demonstrated remarkable upward mobility. WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum, for instance, came from a low-income immigrant family. Children of immigrants who start out in lower-paid jobs often ascend to leadership positions in tech, business, and other fields.
A Graying America Needs More Workers
The United States is aging rapidly. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of Americans aged 65 or older grew by nearly 40 percent, and they now represent a record-high 17.3 percent of the country’s population. This demographic shift poses long-term challenges:
Healthcare Demands: As the population ages, the U.S. will need more healthcare workers—nurses, home health aides, and technicians—to care for seniors.
Social Security Strain: If the ratio of retirees to working-age Americans keeps climbing, funding programs like Social Security becomes much harder.
Population Decline: Without new immigration, the U.S. is on track to see population declines by the end of this century—bringing slower economic growth.
In short, the nation needs more prime-age workers, not just to innovate in Silicon Valley but also to perform the essential tasks that keep our economy running—building homes, picking crops, caring for the elderly, and working in countless vital service roles.
The Value of “Low-Skill” Immigrants
While arguments about H-1B visas dominate headlines, so-called “low-skill” immigrants are just as essential.
Healthcare Shortages: Immigrants already make up 27.7 percent of the home health aide workforce, a sector that faces an enormous labor shortfall as the American population ages.
Construction & Agriculture: Similarly, immigrants comprise a large portion of America’s construction and agricultural workforce. These are industries that often struggle to fill job openings with native-born workers alone.
Critics argue that large-scale immigration can depress wages for native-born workers in some sectors. Yet most research suggests that in the aggregate, immigration does not significantly reduce wages for native-born workers; in fact, it can boost GDP, stimulate job growth, and help sustain programs like Social Security and Medicare for everyone.
Delaying Demographic Decline
Although birth rates are falling worldwide, immigration is the one reliable lever that can slow, or even reverse, population decline. The Census Bureau’s projections show that under a “high immigration” scenario, America’s population would grow by 30.6 percent by 2100. Without immigration, the country’s population would shrink by 32.2 percent during that same period—a demographic catastrophe that could jeopardize long-term economic stability.
Deferring population decline also buys America time to develop new technologies—like advanced AI and robotics—that could help mitigate future labor shortages.
A Big, Beautiful Door for Many
If Trump truly wants to maximize the prosperity of current American citizens, he should keep his promise of a “big beautiful door” open to all kinds of workers. That means inviting highly skilled engineers and entrepreneurs but also welcoming the home health aides, construction workers, and other laborers who help power our economy.
America’s aging population and expanding economic needs demand a holistic immigration policy—one that views immigrants not as competitors but as contributors to a thriving, dynamic society. By broadening our definition of a “worthwhile” immigrant, we not only strengthen our economy but also honor the nation’s longstanding tradition of offering newcomers the chance to build better lives.