File photo: US Vice President JD Vance (Picture credit: Reuters)
US Vice President JD Vance has acknowledged that his rhetoric was “imperfect” after describing foreign professionals working on H-1B visas as “indentured servants”, clarifying that his criticism was directed at American companies and the visa system rather than the workers themselves.Speaking at a CBS News town hall on Saturday, Vance said he took responsibility for his choice of words following criticism, including from India, which had described the terminology as “deeply offensive” and said it carried painful historical and colonial legacy connotations.“I would say, and to the extent that my rhetoric has been imperfect here, that's on me,” Vance said in response to a question from an Indian immigrant who became a US citizen five years ago and voted for President Donald Trump.Vance argued that the H-1B visa system could leave foreign employees vulnerable because their legal status in the United States is closely tied to their employment. He said employers could exercise excessive control over workers who risk losing their ability to remain in the country if they lose their jobs.The Vice President said his comments were "not a criticism of the H-1B holder."He explained that companies sponsoring H-1B workers certify that they cannot find an alternative American applicant for the position, while the workers’ visas often serve as their “only lifeline to the United States of America”.
“So, when I say indentured servitude, that is not a criticism of H1B visa holders; that is the criticism of the company, which brings a person who sometimes will lay off an American worker and knows that if they complain, if they have disagreement with the boss, they could just lose their job… They can be shipped back, which I think gives way too much power to the employer. Maybe my rhetoric has been imperfect here… it is the criticism of the visa system that allowed people to be treated as indentured servants, as they can be shipped to their countries of origin,” Vance added.
Vance says he does not intend to dehumanise immigrants
Vance also referred to his own family while explaining his position on immigration, saying the United States needed to balance welcoming foreign professionals with protecting American workers.“You know where my family comes from, and I love my mother-in-law and father-in-law who immigrated from South India, and obviously their daughter, born in the United States of America, is now the second lady, and I’m very proud of her, and I love her very much,” he said.His wife, Usha Vance, is the daughter of Indian immigrants.Acknowledging that he was not perfect, the Vice President said his intention was not to dehumanise people who had moved to the United States.“I will tell you that nobody's perfect, certainly not me. But my goal here is not to dehumanise any immigrant, and in fact, I love a number of immigrants,” he said.
India had called remarks ‘deeply offensive’
Vance's clarification follows strong objections from ministry of external affairs (MEA), which had called his description of H-1B professionals “unwarranted” and said it overlooked their contributions to the American economy and innovation ecosystem.The ministry also highlighted the role generations of immigrants had played in the United States' growth and prosperity.“Resorting to terminology that carries painful historical and colonial legacy connotations is deeply offensive,” the MEA said in its statement.It also emphasised that talent mobility benefits both countries by providing opportunities to Indian professionals while helping US companies access skilled workers and strengthen innovation, research, productivity and competitiveness.The MEA had clarified that the US decision to suspend certain companies from the Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) programme was separate from the H-1B visa programme.The suspension could affect the green card process for eligible employees of the companies concerned but did not, by itself, invalidate existing H-1B visas or change the status of visa holders and their dependants.
Vance had accused firms of undercutting American wages
Earlier this month, Vance described H-1B workers as “indentured servants” and accused foreign outsourcing firms of bringing in employees at lower wages while laying off American workers.At a news conference on visa fraud, he claimed that H-1B workers earned $20,000 less than American citizens hired for similar positions. He further alleged that those brought in by foreign outsourcing firms earned $48,000 less than American workers in comparable roles.Vance also accused companies of profiting by replacing American employees with foreign workers paid lower wages.The Trump administration subsequently suspended eight companies — TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCLTech, Cognizant, Capgemini, Microsoft and Adobe — from participating in the PERM programme.PERM is an important step in the employment-based green card process. Employers generally need labour certification from the US Department of Labour before sponsoring eligible foreign workers for permanent residence.The process requires companies to establish that qualified, willing and available American workers cannot be found for the position and that employing a foreign worker will not adversely affect wages and working conditions.Indian professionals account for more than 70 per cent of approved H-1B petitions annually.