The Indian government has strongly condemned remarks made by US Vice President JD Vance, calling them “deeply offensive”. Mr Vance described foreign workers employed by American software companies, many of whom are Indian, as “indentured servants”.
This controversy arises amid the Trump administration's crackdown on alleged abuses of the H-1B visa system for skilled foreign workers. On Thursday, Mr Vance and US Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling announced the suspension of several major Indian IT service providers, alongside American technology companies Microsoft and Adobe, from a programme that enables companies to sponsor foreign employees for permanent residency.
Mr Vance has called for American companies to employ more US citizens, stating to Microsoft: “You cannot lay off American workers and then replace them with foreign indentured servants.”
India’s Ministry of External Affairs responded on Friday, describing the remarks as “unwarranted” and the terminology as “deeply offensive”. The ministry highlighted that Indian professionals in the United States are highly educated, exceptionally skilled, and contribute significantly to the American economy and technological innovation.