A massive MAGA or Make America Great Again infighting is currently underway amongst the supporters of US President-elect Donald Trump. At the fulcrum of this debate lies the H-1B visa regime, long harnessed by skilled professionals from nations like India and China to get permits to work in the US.

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On the one hand, you have Trump’s MAGA supporters who advocate a blanket ban on immigration to prioritise the American workforce over foreign professionals; on the other, there are Trump allies like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy who have pledged their commitment to support merit-based legal immigration.

How did the debate start?

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The debate over H-1B visa regime started with the appointment of Sriram Krishnan, an Indian-origin venture capitalist and Musk ally, as artificial intelligence policy advisor to the Trump White House.

Far-right MAGA extremist Laura Loomer was quick to condemn Sriram’s views on legal immigration from India, labelling his appointment as "deeply disturbing." Later, she also criticised Musk for trying to defeat the ‘America First’ idea.

In subsequent posts, Loomer termed Indian professionals as “third-world invaders from India.” Loomer then posted a picture of a messy riverside in India, showing people taking a holy dip in river with garbage overflowing around. “PS: why are people in India still shitting in the water they bathe and drink from?” she wrote in the caption.

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Musk slams ‘contemptible fools’

In an apparent reference to racist posts made by Loomer on X, Musk said these “contemptible fools” must be removed from the Republican party. “Those contemptible fools must be removed from the Republican Party, root and stem,” Musk wrote on X.

“The contemptible fools I’m referring to are those in the Republican Party who are hateful, unrepentant racists.”

Also read: H1B visas: US far-right goes on anti-India drivel over Trump's pick Sriram; Musk wades in

“They will absolutely be the downfall of the Republican Party if they are not removed.”

Loomer says her account censored

Later in her posts on X, Loomer claimed Musk “removed my check mark and canceled all my subscriptions” after she spoke against the big tech and immigration.

“We are witnessing totalitarian censorship. I’m deeply disturbed by what is happening. MAGA is under attack,” she added.

Later, some users pointed out on X that Laura's account must have been restricted for violating X's doxxing policies, as she allegedly posted Krishnan's address details in one of her posts.