Rebuked by India, Vance admits he went too far with “indentured servants” rhetoric

WASHINGTON DC: Following criticism, US Vice President JD Vance admitted that his “indentured servants” rhetoric was imperfect, and he wanted to aim at the US companies and the visa system, not the H-1B visa holders.

India had condemned JD Vance’s description of H-1B visa workers as “indentured servants”, calling the terminology “deeply offensive” and saying it carries painful historical and colonial legacy connotations.

Speaking at a CBS Town Hall, JD Vance clarified that his criticism was directed at US firms and the visa system, allowing H-1B holders to be shipped back to their country of origin.

He said, “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. Importantly, their visa is their only lifeline to the United States of America.”