Nikki Haley’s son stirred a row after saying naturalised citizens in the United States should not be allowed to hold public office. His comments come at a time when he is already under fire for calling for a complete ban on H-1B visas.The 24-year-old Indian-origin said in an interview that growing up in America is the “biggest part of understanding” the country and argued that only those born in the US should be eligible for elected positions. The comments were made during a conversation with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, who himself has been facing attacks from Democrats accusing him of working for Israel and promoting an extreme right agenda.Nalin had already caused a stir earlier this month when he told Fox News that the H-1B programme disadvantages Americans entering the job market. “We are seeing kids graduate with six figures in debt and not having a job to show for it,” he said. “My main friend group graduated with great degrees from great schools. It’s been a year and a half since graduation. Not one of them has a job.”He claimed that the presence of foreign workers has worsened the situation, and in his interview with Carlson said that the US should stop giving university admission to immigrants, adding that ‘America First’ is the only motto people should follow. He also alleged that some of the students are “spies” from other countries and the government should limit the influx of foreigners.The elite youngster defended his hardline position despite criticism from Democrats and the Indian-American community. “I mean, they shouldn’t be [surprised] because I’ve seen how it’s affected my friends and those around me. At the end of the day, my loyalty is to America,” he said.He doubled down on his position, saying, “We need to get rid of the foreign worker visas. We need to ban H-1B visas. And we need to punish companies that are not putting American workers first.”Moreover, Nalin’s comments come at a time when the H-1B issue is already highly sensitive, with Trump himself softening his stance by saying the US lacks talent and needs skilled foreign workers to fill positions in areas such as tech and defence. The MAGA base is currently split, with one side supporting Nalin’s “America First, America only” view, including figures like Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, while other conservatives argue that the US is in urgent need of foreign workers and cannot afford to end the H-1B programme for the sake of the country’s economy.
