Elon Musk accused of censorship as H1B migrant controversy deepens

Elon Musk has been accused of censorship after his social media platform

Several prominent conservative accounts complained this week about having their blue verification badge revoked, leaving them without features including the ability to monetize their content.

One account, called ConservativeOG, claimed that more than fifty users were affected by the apparent censorship of Musk, who prides himself on promoting freedom of expression.

It comes after the South African-born Tesla boss and the new White House official expressed support for H-1B visas, which would allow highly skilled foreigners to work in the US for six years, rather than prioritizing American employees.

Musk even threatened to “go to war” with MAGA Republicans this week after defending the visas, and Donald Trump shocked loyal followers by siding with the SpaceX founder on the hot-button topic.

Now Musk appears to have gone a step further by revoking privileges from X users who disagreed with his views, according to several prominent conservative stories.

“With Elon’s shift on H-1B visas, we would now like to respond to the loss of our golden tick. Cooler heads must prevail to restore badges for our 50+ affiliates. Right or wrong, this platform claims to defend free speech – so let’s see it in action,” ConservativeOG wrote on X.

‘We pay 1K a month for a ‘platform for free speech’, that’s what we want!’

Conservative pundit Laura Loomer also weighed in.

‘Why are posts from X users who pay for @premium listed as ‘probably spam’ on my @elonmusk posts? This is censorship. I understand you don’t like me, but this is nothing more than retaliatory censorship?’ she wrote on X.

The accounts were still active on Sunday. Some conservatives said the move was a betrayal of Musk’s promises to make X a haven for free speech when he bought the app, then called Twitter, in 2022.

Musk, who immigrated to the US from South Africa and became a citizen in 2002, did not respond to requests for comment, but did post about the X algorithm on Thursday evening.

“Just a reminder that the algorithm is trying to maximize unsatisfied user seconds,” Musk wrote.

“If many more credible, verified subscriber accounts (not bots) mute/block your account compared to those who like your posts, your reach will be significantly reduced.”

But the post led to further accusations that Musk has overshadowed his conservative critics by sabotaging their engagement with other users.

Preston Parra, 23, the influencer who runs the ConservativeOG account, accused Musk of orchestrating a “political takedown” in retaliation for publicly disagreeing with his views on visas and immigration

“If anyone thinks for one minute that the REAL backbone of the right wing and MAGA stands idly by while this big tech billionaire Silicon Valley, who wasn’t bullied enough in high school, steals our country, they are wrong,” Parra told it NBC News in a text message.

Parra said he believes Musk is a “Trojan horse” in the Trump camp. Several accounts also refer to Musk as “the monarch,” suggesting he has absolute control over the website.

On Saturday, the president-elect praised the use of visas to bring skilled foreign workers to the US

‘I’ve always liked the visas, I’ve always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” Trump told the newspaper New York Post.

Trump has even criticized the H-1B visas in the past, calling them “very bad” and “unfair” for American workers.

During his first term as president, Trump unveiled a “Hire American” policy that drove changes to the program to try to ensure the visas were awarded to the highest-paid or most skilled applicants.

Despite his criticism of them and efforts to restrict their use, he has used the visas at his companies in the past, something he acknowledged in his interview on Saturday.

“I have a lot of H-1B visas on my properties. I believed in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program,” Trump told the newspaper.

He did not appear to answer questions about whether he would seek changes to the number or use of the visas once he takes power on January 20.

Trump’s tough immigration policies, which focused mainly on immigrants in the country illegally, were a cornerstone of his presidential campaign and a priority for his supporters.

But in recent days his coalition has fractured in a public debate taking place largely online over the tech industry’s hiring of foreign workers.

Far-right members of Trump’s movement have accused Musk and others in Trump’s new flank of tech supporters of pursuing policies that run counter to Trump’s “America First” vision.

Software engineers and others in the technology industry have used H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers, saying they are a crucial tool for hard-to-fill positions.

But critics have said they undermine American citizens who could take on these jobs. Some on the right have called for the program to be abolished.