Immigration split screen: Microsoft gets a crackdown and a medal

Axios · 10/9/2026, 9:15:04 AM

The Trump administration said Thursday that it was suspending Microsoft from a key program used to sponsor employees for green cards. Later that day , the administration honored the tech giant's CEO with a medal for innovation. Why it matters: The split-screen day highlights the tension between the administration's championing of Big Tech and its immigration policies, which constrain an industry that has long relied on hiring foreign-born workers. Tech leaders have said that restrictions on hiring hamper the country's ability to compete — especially at a moment when the U.S. is in a race with China on AI. Driving the news: The administration's move Thursday also targeted Adobe and six IT services firms over the Permanent Employment Program, or Perm. It's typically the first major government approval step in employers sponsoring workers, often H-1B holders, for employment-based green cards . The administration accused these companies of hiring foreign workers and paying them less, at U.S. workers' expense. State of play: President Trump awarded Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation at the White House's New Golden Age Summit Thursday night. Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and CEO of AMD Lisa Su — like Nadella, all immigrants to the U.S. — were awarded the National Medal of Science. At the event, Trump called the honorees " national treasure s." What they're saying: Vice President Vance addressed the apparent contradiction at a press conference earlier Thursday, saying: "Our message to Microsoft is not that we want to harm your company; it's that we want your company to thrive, but we want it to thrive by employing and empowering your fellow Americans." Microsoft "laid off 6,000 American workers while replacing them with 6,300 H-1Bs," he said. Vance didn't provide a timeline. "The suspension of Perm is going to last as long as it needs to," he said. "We have a number of tools to suspend it ind