India, Oct. 16 -- Microsoft President Brad Smith has warned the Trump administration that restricting skilled immigrants' path to permanent residency could weaken the US technology sector and drive top talent to other countries, days after the government moved to block Microsoft and seven other companies from seeking green cards for foreign workers.

In an exclusive interview with Politico's Decoded, Smith rejected Vice President JD Vance's allegations that Microsoft misused the H-1B visa program to hire foreign workers at lower salaries. He argued that the crackdown could undermine America's ability to attract engineers and other highly skilled professionals, particularly in artificial intelligence.

"We should all be worried about sendi...