Story perspectives

Vance Calls H-1B Workers “Indentured Servants,” Firms Suspended

By Drooid · Oct 18, 2026, 4:15 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

U.S. Vice President JD Vance called H-1B visa workers “indentured servants” at a CBS town hall Saturday.
Vance said his remarks targeted firms that replace American workers with H-1B hires, not the visa holders.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs called the “indentured servants” description unwarranted and deeply offensive, ignoring Indian professionals’ contributions.
The U.S. administration suspended eight firms, including Microsoft, Cognizant, Infosys and Adobe, from the PERM green-card program.

History

Historical Context

The Immigration Act of 1990, signed by President George H.W. Bush on November 29, 1990 after Senator Ted Kennedy’s 1989 proposal, created a separate H-1B category with a 65,000-visa annual cap. The law sparked early-1990s debate over foreign engineers filling tech jobs at firms like IBM and Microsoft, a controversy echoed today by Vice President-candidate JD Vance’s “indentured servants” comment.

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Story summary

U.S. Vice President JD Vance called H-1B visa workers “indentured servants” at a CBS town hall Saturday.
Vance said his remarks targeted firms that replace American workers with H-1B hires, not the visa holders.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs called the “indentured servants” description unwarranted and deeply offensive, ignoring Indian professionals’ contributions.
The U.S. administration suspended eight firms, including Microsoft, Cognizant, Infosys and Adobe, from the PERM green-card program.

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