For Peri, there is an irreconcilable tension between the administration’s twin goals: protecting American jobs and maintaining the U.S.’ position as a global leader in STEM. “I think in the administration there are two types of people,” he says. “The ones who are very clear about the negative consequences—the Elon Musk types, business people—and the people who want to cut immigration for ideological reasons,” such as Stephen Miller, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff for policy. “We will see who prevails in the long-run,” he says.