Anti Immigration USA: Nikki Haley’s son, Mehdi Hasan spar over migration to US

A war of words erupted on social media between Nalin Haley, son of Republican leader Nikki Haley, and British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan over the issue of immigration in the US. Nalin argued for ending mass immigration to the US, while Hasan reminded him that his own grandfather had migrated to the United States from India in 1969.

Nalin had called for an end to mass immigration in a post on X on Thursday, citing overcrowding in the US, economic fragility, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the labour market.

He also argued that states should be allowed to deny H-1B visas to foreign workers. He demanded checks on foreign workers following a policy shift by the Donald Trump administration, which recently introduced a steep $100,000 (Approx Rs 88 lakh) fee for new H-1B applications.

“I don’t care where you are from. Even if it’s Canada, we have to stop mass migration. We have too many people. It’s irresponsible to let in immigrants when companies already aren’t hiring, AI is replacing many jobs, and the economy is fragile. The last thing we need is foreigners taking away jobs Americans can do,” wrote the 24-year-old, who is the son of former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley.

Mehdi Hasan, founder of the media company Zeteo, responded to the post by referencing Nalin’s own family background. He pointed out that Nalin’s grandfather, Ajit Singh Randhawa, immigrated to the United States from India in 1969—a period also marked by anti-immigrant sentiment and restrictive quotas.

Notably, Nalin’s grandfather Ajit Singh Randhawa, who was originally from Punjab, immigrated to the US over 55 years ago where he built a distinguished academic career. He earned a master’s degree in biology and later pursued a PhD at the University of British Columbia in Canada. In 1969, he moved to South Carolina and joined Voorhees College in Bamberg as a faculty member. Randhawa passed away in June last year.

Mehdi Hasan, a British-American, also has Indian roots. His parents migrated to the UK from Hyderabad.

Shortly after Hasan’s comment, Nalin hit back, rejecting the comparison and escalating the exchange by suggesting that the journalist “should be denaturalised if he hates this country so much”.

“This ain’t 1969, bud. And you should be denaturalised. All you do is complain about America anyway,” Nalin wrote.

The remark drew sharp criticism on X, with many users reminding him of his family’s immigrant past. One user accused Nalin of “siding with those who once spat at his grandparents.”

“Completely missing the point. The argument you’re making is exactly the same argument that’s been used in 1969, 1909, etc. You’re now on the side of the type of people that spat at your grandparents. You do realise, no matter how much you twerk for fascists, they’ll never accept you,” wrote user Ciaran McKeogh.

Another user, James, added: “Your family literally wouldn’t be alive if we had the policies you want, kiddo. Learn some respect for your history.”

WHO IS NALIN HALEY?

Nalin Haley is the younger child of Nikki Haley and her husband, businessman Michael Haley.

Nalin attended high school in New York during his mother’s tenure as the United States ambassador to the United Nations. He later graduated in 2024 with a degree in political science from Villaeserve University, a Catholic institution.

The online spat between Nalin and Hasan reflects the enduring tensions surrounding immigration in US politics since Trump began his second presidency.

The Trump administration has intensified the crackdown on illegal migrants.

The United States deported 1,563 Indian nationals till July this year, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

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