Washigton DC: Following strong criticism from India over the language used to describe Indian professionals working in the United States, US Vice President JD Vance has acknowledged that his description of H-1B visa workers as “indentured servants” was poorly worded.
The MEA called the phrase “deeply offensive”, citing its historical and colonial associations. Vance now says employer control and the risk of deportation were the real targets of his criticism, while defending his arguments over wage disparities and the treatment of foreign workers.
Speaking at a CBS News town hall, he said his comments were aimed at companies and the visa system that can leave foreign employees dependent on their employers to stay in the country. He said that his choice of words had been imperfect and clarified that he was referring to certain H-1B holders and employment practices, rather than the entire category of visa workers.
“To the extent my rhetoric has been imperfect, that's on me. What I said about certain visa holders, certain H-1B (holders), is not (for) the entire category. This is what happens often… when they come in with an H1B and the company is certifying that they are doing a job that they cannot find an alternative American labourer apt for it.
