Government slams Vance’s remarks on Indian IT professionals as ‘deeply offensive’

U.S Vice President J.D. Vance. File | Photo Credit: Reuters

The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday (October 9, 2026) slammed as “unwarranted” and “deeply offensive” U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance’s comments in which he called foreign workers, including Indian IT professionals, “indentured servants”.

Hitting out at the U.S. government for its decision to suspend “labour certifications” from several Indian technology firms based in America, the Ministry said the steps would not “advance the shared ambitions of both countries”, indicating further trouble in the already difficult economic relationship between the two countries.

On Thursday , Mr. Vance and U.S. Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling announced the suspension of the Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) programme for eight IT outsourcing giants, including five Indian IT multinationals operating in the U.S., and accused them of visa fraud. The list included Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, Cognizant, and HCL from India, often called the Big 5, as well as Capgemini, Microsoft, and Adobe.

“Such descriptions are unwarranted and ignore the fact that Indian professionals in the United States are highly educated and skilled contributors to its economy and innovation ecosystem,” the Ministry said in a strongly worded statement that reminded the Trump administration that the U.S. had been “shaped by generations of immigrants.”