'Isn’t your wife Indian?' JD Vance faces backlash over anti-immigration remark

Dubai: US Vice President JD Vance has sparked a fresh controversy with remarks on immigration that triggered widespread backlash and accusations of hypocrisy.

Vance claimed that “mass migration is the theft of the American Dream” in a post on X, arguing that immigrants take away opportunities from American workers.

He said studies disproving his view were funded by “people getting rich off the old system.”

His comments were made in response to a video of a Louisiana construction company owner praising recent operations by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), saying: “No immigrants want to go to work ... I’ve gotten more calls in the last week than I’ve gotten in the last 3 months.”

Several users on social media immediately pointed to Vance’s own family background. Vance is married to Usha Vance, who is American-born but the daughter of Indian immigrants.

One user wrote: “Wait, isn’t your wife Indian from an immigrant family?”

Another posted: “Your wife and children are stealing the American dream.”

Many mocked Vance by suggesting he would have to “send Usha, her Indian family, and your biracial kids back to India.”

The uproar followed earlier remarks by Vance saying it was “totally reasonable and acceptable” for Americans to prefer neighbours who share their “race, language or skin colour.”

Princeton historian Kevin Kruse compared Vance’s language to segregation-era arguments.

India Today highlighted comments from author and political commentator Wajahat Ali, who responded to Vance’s post by saying:

“That means you have to send Usha, her Indian family, and your biracial kids back to India.”

Vance’s remarks resurfaced a separate controversy involving his wife’s religious identity. At a Turning Point USA event, Vance said he hoped his wife would one day share his Christian faith, adding that she attends church with him and he “wishes she might eventually convert.” The comments were seen as insensitive to her Hindu background.

Vance later clarified, according to India Today, that Usha “has no plans to convert” and that he respects her beliefs.

The controversy comes amid a wider immigration crackdown by the Trump administration, including a December 3 order suspending immigration applications — including green cards, citizenship, and asylum — from 19 “high-risk” countries. The directive affects over 2.2 million pending cases and requires re-interviews of previously admitted refugees.