Calls for ending H-1B visas to protect American workers
New York: In a break from his mother's support for merit-based immigration, Nalin Haley, son of former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, called for ending H-1B visas and halting legal immigration, saying it's necessary to protect American workers in a struggling economy.
In an interview with the London-based news website UnHerd, Nalin said the federal government should "end H-1B visas" and "stop legal immigration altogether", arguing that foreign workers are taking jobs that should go to young Americans.
"My friend group, all graduated, great degrees from great schools, it's been a year and a half, and not one of them have a job," he told UnHerd.
He also called for British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan to be thrown out of the US.
"No, I quite literally mean that. I'm often sarcastic, but not in this case. I mean, he hates America. If you hate America, you shouldn't be in America. Everyone wants to make it so complicated. That's the thing with the past generation. They always talk about the rules, regulations, process. No, it's simple. If you don't like America, get out," UnHerd quoted him as saying.
The younger Haley's comments are a sharp break from his mother's long-standing pro-business and merit-based immigration stance. Nikki Haley, born to Ajit Randhawa, who had migrated from India to the US in 1969, has often praised legal immigration as central to the American story.
During the interview, Nalin argued that the US should go beyond halting illegal immigration and also curb legal immigration. He further called for suspending all foreign aid until every American has secure employment, healthcare, and stable living conditions.
"I'm angry at that (immigrants getting jobs in the US), because I'm having to try and help my friends get jobs when their parents got jobs immediately—not just after graduating from college, but out of high school," he added.
