‘Deeply Offensive’: India Slams Vance’s ‘Indentured Servants’ Remark on H-1B Workers

India on Friday sharply criticised US Vice President JD Vance for describing H-1B visa workers as “indentured servants”, calling the expression “deeply offensive” and invoking the contribution of Indian professionals to the American economy.

The Ministry of External Affairs said the remarks were unwarranted and carried painful historical and colonial connotations.

“We believe that such descriptions are unwarranted and ignore the fact that Indian professionals in the United States are highly educated and skilled contributors to its economy and innovation ecosystem,” the ministry said.

It reminded Washington that generations of immigrants had helped shape the United States through their labour, enterprise and innovation.

“Resorting to terminology that carries painful historical and colonial legacy connotations is deeply offensive,” the statement added.

WHAT VANCE SAID

Speaking at a news conference on visa fraud on Thursday, Vance accused foreign outsourcing firms of undercutting American wages and replacing US employees with cheaper overseas workers.

He claimed that H-1B workers earned $20,000 less than American citizens hired for the same positions. For employees brought in by foreign outsourcing firms, he put the difference at $48,000.

“You bring in indentured servants from outside the country, you lay off American workers and, if you’re a corporation, you make a ton of money by under cutting the wages of American workers,” Vance said.

He also described the replacement workers as people “who frankly shouldn’t be in the United States of America to begin with”.

PERM SUSPENSION DOES NOT INVALIDATE H-1B VISAS: MEA

The ministry separately addressed the US Department of Labor’s suspension of certain companies from the Permanent Labor Certification, or PERM, programme, stressing that it is distinct from the H-1B visa programme.

“The suspension of PERM applications does not, by itself, affect the validity of existing H-1B visas or the status of H-1B visa holders and their dependents,” it said.

However, the ministry acknowledged that the move could affect the permanent residency or Green Card process for eligible employees of the companies concerned.

US Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling had announced suspensions involving Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini. Microsoft and Adobe were also suspended from the programme. The US Labour Department cited multiple active federal investigations.

Sonderling said the companies had collectively requested almost three million foreign workers since 2009, receiving more than 230,000 H-1B visa approvals and over 100,000 permanent labour certifications. He alleged that these represented jobs taken from American workers.

SKILLED PROFESSIONALS BENEFIT BOTH COUNTRIES

Rejecting the portrayal of talent mobility as a loss for America, the MEA said Indian professionals helped US companies improve innovation, research, productivity and competitiveness while supporting job creation and shareholder wealth.

“This is therefore an area of tremendous mutual benefit for the two countries and our expectation is that all stakeholders in this process can appreciate this fact,” it said.

“The steps announced by the US do not advance the shared ambitions of both countries.”

The PERM announcement came a day after the US Department of Homeland Security proposed new fees for F-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training, describing the proposal as a measure to protect American workers and strengthen the immigration system.

The MEA said it would continue to monitor developments.

With inputs from ANI