Steve Bannon has sparked a significant escalation in the ongoing MAGA civil war by advocating for reparations for Americans who, according to him, are losing out to immigrants on H-1B visas. During an episode of his podcast, War Room, Bannon expressed discontent over the program and nominated all current H-1B workers for deportation.

In a fiery discourse, Bannon criticized billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who has publicly supported the H-1B visa program. Musk pointed out that many skilled workers in critical industries attribute their success to the possibilities afforded by such visas, which allow U.S. companies to recruit foreign talent for specialty occupations (source: The Daily Beast).

The tension surrounding H-1B visas has recently embroiled various factions within the MAGA movement, with immigration hawks like Bannon and Laura Loomer clashing with influential tech leaders. This conflict intensified after the announcement of new appointments, including the appointment of Sriram Krishnan, an AI policy advisor, which prompted Loomer to label him a “career leftist” (source: The Daily Beast).

Bannon’s remarks included a call to expel H-1B visa holders along with the undocumented immigrants he says are suppressing wages for American workers. “The workers that are here on H-1B visas should be deported at the same time we’re deporting the 15 million illegal aliens Biden brought across the border to suppress wages to low-income workers,” he stated. He emphasized that American workers should take priority in filling the jobs typically reserved for H-1B visa holders.

This controversy reveals a growing rift within the MAGA movement as figures like Trump have recently voiced support for the program that helps skilled foreign workers enter the U.S. Trump acknowledged that he has always favored the H-1B program, contradicting past criticisms he has made about it. “I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” he was quoted as saying in a New York Post interview (source: New York Post).

The dispute highlights an ideological battle within the MAGA base, where hardline immigration stances clash with the interests of business and tech leaders who advocate for the benefits that skilled foreign workers bring to the U.S. economy. Bannon has voiced his discontent with Musk, calling him a "toddler" and asserting that wealthy elites like him do not share true MAGA values (source: The Daily Beast).

As this saga unfolds, it raises pertinent questions about the future trajectory of the MAGA movement and the underlying values that will define it. The division between pro-immigration corporate interests and anti-immigration grassroots supporters poses challenges for unity, potentially reshaping dynamics leading into the next election cycle.