In a sharp departure from his mother Nikki Haley’s long-standing pro-immigration stance, Nalin Haley, her 24-year-old son, has called for a complete halt to legal immigration and an end to the H-1B visa programme, blaming foreign workers for youth unemployment in the United States.
Speaking in an interview with the London-based outlet UnHerd, Nalin said, “The federal government should end H-1B visas and stop legal immigration altogether.” He argued that American graduates are struggling to find jobs while employers continue to hire skilled workers from abroad. “My friend group—all graduated, great degrees from great schools—it’s been a year and a half, and not one of them has a job,” he said, claiming that foreign professionals have “taken opportunities meant for young Americans.”
Nalin also sparked outrage by calling for British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan to be expelled from the country, accusing him of being “anti-American.” “He hates America. If you hate America, you shouldn’t be in America. It’s simple—if you don’t like this country, get out,” Nalin told the outlet, adding that the “previous generation” overcomplicates issues that are, in his view, straightforward.
Hasan, a veteran journalist and founder of the media company Zeteo, has Indian roots, with his family tracing its origins to Hyderabad. He recently clashed with Nalin on X (formerly Twitter) over the Trump administration’s immigration policies, prompting the younger Haley’s remarks.
Nalin’s comments stand in stark contrast to Nikki Haley’s political record. The former UN Ambassador and Republican presidential candidate, whose father, Ajit Randhawa, emigrated from India to the US in 1969, has consistently supported merit-based legal immigration as an integral part of America’s success story.
In his interview, however, Nalin went further, arguing that the US should not only block illegal immigration but also freeze legal entry until all Americans have stable jobs, healthcare, and housing. “We shouldn’t send a single dollar in foreign aid until every American is taken care of,” he said.
He also took aim at Indian-origin Republican leader Vivek Ramaswamy, rejecting Ramaswamy’s calls for the GOP to move away from identity politics after the party’s recent electoral losses. Instead, Nalin insisted the priority should be restricting foreign labour, saying bluntly: “End H-1B visas.”
More than 70% of H-1B visas go to Indian nationals, especially in the technology sector, making Nalin’s comments particularly controversial.
Addressing the economic frustrations of his generation, Nalin also pointed to skyrocketing housing costs, saying they have “priced out” young Americans. “My parents bought their first house for $90,000. That same house is now worth $400,000. How can we compete?” he said.
His remarks have drawn mixed reactions online — with conservative commentators praising his bluntness, while others accused him of hypocrisy, given his family’s own immigrant roots and political privileges.
Nalin Haley’s statements mark a growing generational and ideological divide within the Republican Party — one between traditional pro-business conservatives who support skilled immigration and a rising populist wing that blames globalization and foreign labour for America’s economic struggles.
