JD Vance Clarifies 'Indentured Servants' Remark, Cites Indian In-Laws

US Vice President JD Vance clarified his indentured servants remark about foreign workers, acknowledging his rhetoric was imperfect during a CBS News town hall broadcast on Saturday night.

Vance invoked his South Indian wife and in-laws, stating, "I love my mother-in-law and father-in-law who immigrated from South India." He insisted his target was not foreign workers but companies exploiting the H-1B visa system. Vance explained that the indentured servitude criticism was aimed at companies that bring in workers, sometimes lay off American workers, and know that if foreign workers complain, they could lose their job and be shipped back, which he said gives way too much power to the employer.

Earlier this month, Vance had urged American companies to hire more domestic workers, asking them to stop importing an indentured servant to do a job that an American worker would happily do. The Trump administration subsequently suspended several companies, including Indian IT firms like Microsoft, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Wipro, HCL, and Capgemini, from the Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) program.

The PERM program is the first step in the employment-based green card process, allowing employers to sponsor eligible foreign workers for permanent residency. India had denounced Vance's earlier comments as unwarranted and deeply offensive. An Indian-American woman, who voted for Vance, challenged him at the town hall, accusing him of scapegoating immigrants. Microsoft countered Vance's accusations, implicitly suggesting he mischaracterized data, stating most H-1B applications involved extensions or changes of status for existing employees, not new recruitment.

Microsoft also argued that access to international talent is essential for its competitiveness in AI and other advanced technologies. The controversy is becoming increasingly personal for Vance, who is positioning himself to run for the White House.