Davos/New Delhi:
US economist Kenneth Rogoff told NDTV at the World Economic Forum (WEF) conference in Davos that changes to H-1B visa policy for high-level professionals from India under Trump 2.0 will He said it would be a “great thing” for America in need.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who is closely aligned with President Donald Trump, supports H-1B visas, but his allies in the Republican Party are divided over the policy.
“…I think it’s great for the United States, but I don’t know if it’s great for India,” Rogoff told NDTV, referring to India’s brain drain problem.
“And, you know, (Joe) Biden seemed to be following Trump’s policies on legal immigration. He didn’t ease it at all. So, yeah, we’ll do it. We should have more lenient policies for highly educated people who have a lot to do.”We want them to contribute,” Rogoff, who is also a former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), told NDTV.
Joe Biden took office as President of the United States in January 2021 after four years of Trump 1.0.
“I’m not saying there aren’t people out there who aren’t educated and don’t have much to contribute, but it’s all legal immigration and there should be some sort of reasonable system,” Rogoff added.
On the first day of his second term, President Trump announced several important grants, including pardoning 1,500 people involved in the January 2021 Capitol riot and “bringing millions of criminal aliens back to their places.” He made a presentation.
“I think there are some people who shouldn’t be pardoned. I think there are probably a lot of people who should be pardoned. Democrats took a lot of legal action in their time, and he took some of them. I think it’s being reversed. But if people hurt someone, or someone dies, that’s different,” Rogoff said.
He called Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ border policies “insane.”
“I’ve never had anyone explain it to me,” the economist said. “Legal immigration is great. But did you know? A graduate student who gets a Ph.D. and gets an offer from a great university or a great job can’t stay because he can’t get a green card. But , if you meet, illegally violated the Mexican border, at least 9 million people, probably 15 million under the Biden administration, but it didn’t matter.”
“In his first term, Trump cut both policies. Elon Musk seems to be convincing him that we need talented engineers from places like India. So this is a crisis on the southern border. “That was the craziest of Biden’s policies.” (Trump) is not going to stop immigration. “Under him (Trump 1.0) I think cumulatively 2 million people crossed the border, and he certainly sends a message to try to slow that down,” Rogoff said.
About identity politics
Rogoff agreed with President Trump’s announcement that the country would recognize only two genders, male and female, saying it was a step backwards and that “we have gone to another extreme.”
“His extreme views are also unacceptable. And I don’t think most Americans support that. I think most Americans supported transgender rights. But that’s an extreme And they weren’t. So we’re trying to find some compromises.”I don’t know what he’s actually going to do,” Rogoff said.
“I don’t think you can turn back the clock. But, you know, it’s clear that he’s saying things that are very hurtful to a lot of people. And it’s ugly and, you know, They are not welcome,” he added.
The five-day meeting in Davos, which began on Monday, will consider ways to restart growth, harness new technologies and strengthen social and economic resilience, the World Economic Forum said. The global conference will be attended by nearly 3,000 leaders, including 350 government leaders from more than 130 countries.
India’s participation in Davos is aimed at strengthening partnerships, attracting investment and positioning the country as a global leader in sustainable development and innovation. This time, India sent five Union ministers, three state chief ministers, and several other state ministers to the WEF.
