Vance defends his remark about H-1B holders, invokes Indian in-laws
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Washington: US Vice President JD Vance has defended his controversial description of H-1B visa workers as “foreign indentured servants”, insisting that his criticism was directed at employers and the immigration system rather than foreign professionals. However, he stopped short of withdrawing the remark, even as India condemned the language as deeply offensive, The Indian Express reported.
Speaking at a CBS News town hall on October 17, Vance responded to an Indian-origin voter who accused him of scapegoating immigrants despite having become a US citizen and voted for him. He referred to his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance, whose parents immigrated from South India, and said he was proud of his family.
Vance acknowledged that his word choice could have been better but maintained that the underlying criticism remained valid. He argued that the H-1B system gives employers excessive control over foreign workers because losing a job can also jeopardise their ability to remain in the United States.
According to Vance, some companies recruit foreign employees while dismissing American workers, leaving visa holders vulnerable if they challenge workplace decisions. He questioned the fairness of businesses claiming they cannot find qualified local candidates while laying off existing American employees.
The controversy began earlier this month when Vance accused foreign outsourcing companies of bringing in cheaper labour at the expense of US workers. He cited figures indicating that H-1B employees earn about $20,000 less than American citizens in comparable positions, while workers hired through foreign outsourcing firms earn about $48,000 less. He urged US companies to prioritise domestic recruitment.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs strongly objected, saying the remarks disregarded the contributions of highly educated and skilled Indian professionals to the American economy. It also criticised the historical and colonial implications of describing workers as indentured servants.
The dispute has intensified amid the Trump administration’s suspension of several major technology companies from the Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) programme, an important stage in employer-sponsored green-card applications.
The affected companies include Microsoft, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Wipro, HCL and Capgemini. The suspension could disrupt permanent-residency applications for eligible employees, although India has clarified that the measure does not automatically invalidate existing H-1B visas.
New Delhi has also warned that the restrictions undermine the shared interests of India and the United States, particularly in skilled-worker mobility and technological cooperation.