I agree, that is the message from the US right now, and it is harmful. I also feel strongly that the H1B itself is a pretty horrendous program. The amount of c

I agree, that is the message from the US right now, and it is harmful. I also feel strongly that the H1B itself is a pretty horrendous program. The amount of corporate control over the immigration process, the power to decide who is allowed to come here and the conditions under which they are allowed to remain, the restrictive nature of the jobs an "immigrant" is allowed to work... the whole thing is horrible. I insist that a person can be both very pro immigration and absolutely aghast at the way this program is run. I say this with full understanding that for a lot of would be immigrants who lack family connections, this is your only viable path, so none of this blame falls on the people who come here. But of course, that's just extra gravy for the corporations, especially in Silicon Valley - the lack of viable alternate immigration paths just makes their control over the H1B system even more valuable. Freedom to decide how and where you're work, to me, is a core civil and human right. Nobody owes you a job, but you should have the right to pursue work according to your own personal interests, in response to pay, work conditions, location, and other market signals. If this means people don't become developers in Silicon Valley in the numbers tech companies believe they should, that is not a problem for the government to solve for them, certainly not by handing them control over a huge "shadow" immigration system. I can't be surprised that these corporations are succeeding in tarring those who oppose the H1B visa with the stink of "anti-immigrant" sentiment. That's how the system works, I guess. But it's pure manipulation. They act like they're champions of the immigrant, but sadly, what they lobby for is a deeply corrupt and manipulative program that allows them what I consider an unacceptable amount of power over an individual's life. This H1B program is horrible, make no doubt about it. I would welcome a general skilled immigration program that preserves freedom for immigrants (though I would be opposed to overly emphasizing STEM, as I don't believe there is any meaningful shortage of STEM workers that can't be explained as a perfectly rational response to pay and working conditions among people with the talent an ambition to work in demanding fields).