Vance says his H-1B 'indentured servants' remark targeted employers, not visa holders

US Vice President JD Vance said on Saturday that his description of H-1B workers as "foreign indentured servants" was aimed at the companies that employ them and at the visa system, not at the workers. He spoke at a CBS News town hall in Flat Rock, Michigan, according to reports from the Press Trust of India (PTI) and the Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) dated October 18 and 19.

What Vance said

PTI reported that Vance spoke in reply to a question from an Indian-born man who became a US citizen five years ago and voted for President Donald Trump. Vance said that to the extent his rhetoric had been imperfect, that was his responsibility, and that the criticism was not directed at H-1B holders.

IANS reported him saying that when he uses the term, he is criticizing a company rather than the visa holder. In both reports he argued that the visa system gives employers too much power over workers who can be sent back to their home countries. IANS reported him saying that some employers recruit foreign workers after dismissing Americans, and that visa-dependent workers, unlike citizens, could face consequences beyond job loss if they challenged an employer.

He also spoke of his wife, Usha Vance, who PTI describes as the daughter of Indian immigrants, and of his in-laws, who immigrated from South India. IANS reported that he said the US could welcome immigrants while keeping restrictions, and that rapid immigration could strain social cohesion.

The reaction from India

PTI reported that India had objected strongly to the term, calling it deeply offensive and saying it carries painful historical and colonial associations. The PTI report does not name the Indian official or body that made the statement. The IANS report does not mention any Indian reaction.

Background

PTI reported that earlier in October the US suspended several firms, including Indian IT companies, from a program that lets foreign workers apply for green cards. It said Vance announced the move and argued that it shut Americans out of the job market. PTI also noted that Indian professionals account for more than 70 percent of approved H-1B petitions each year.

What the record shows

The two reports agree that Vance said his target was employers and the visa system. They also agree that the phrase was applied to H-1B workers in his earlier remark, and that India objected to the wording. Neither report gives the date, setting or full text of the original remark, so the reports read do not allow the original wording to be compared line by line against the clarification. Whether the original remark was understood by its audience as aimed at employers or at workers is the point on which Vance and the Indian objection differ.