'Just because one person...': JD Vance defends immigration limits challenge from Indian-origin woman
Vance, a leading voice in the Trump administration’s immigration overhaul, reiterated his view that the US must “get the overall numbers way, way down.” While he did not specify an ideal cap on legal immigration, he said the current levels were “far higher than what’s sustainable.”
- Oct 30, 2025,
- Updated Oct 30, 2025 5:32 PM IST
A woman of Indian origin confronted US Vice President JD Vance during a campus event at the University of Mississippi, questioning his administration’s increasingly restrictive approach to legal immigration and its impact on those who came to America “by the book.”
The exchange took place at a Turning Point USA event on Wednesday, where Vance fielded questions from students and attendees. The woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, passionately challenged the Vice President’s comments about reducing immigration levels.
“When you talk about too many immigrants here, when did you guys decide that number?” she asked. “You made us spend our youth, our wealth in this country and gave us a dream. You don’t owe us anything. We have worked hard for it.”
She went on to question how the administration could justify restricting legal immigration after encouraging skilled workers and students to build their lives in the United States.
“How can you, as a Vice President, stand there and say that ‘We have too many of them now, and we are going to take them out’ — to people who are here rightfully so, by paying the money that you guys asked us? You gave us the path, and now how can you stop it and tell us we don’t belong here anymore?”
Vance, a leading voice in the Trump administration’s immigration overhaul, reiterated his view that the US must “get the overall numbers way, way down.” While he did not specify an ideal cap on legal immigration, he said the current levels were “far higher than what’s sustainable.”
“Just because one person or 10 people or 100 people came in illegally and contributed to the U.S., does that mean that we are thereby committed to let in a million or 10 million or 100 million people a year in the future? No, that’s not right,” Vance said.
His response drew a mix of applause and murmurs from the audience. The woman’s remarks, however, earned widespread applause and have since gone viral after footage of the exchange surfaced on social media platforms.
During the same interaction, the woman also questioned Vance about his interfaith marriage to a Hindu woman and whether it had shaped his worldview.
Vance responded, “I honestly do wish that because I believe in the Christian gospel and I hope eventually my wife comes to see it the same way. But if she doesn’t, then God says everybody has free will, and so that doesn’t cause a problem for me.”
The Vice President smiled briefly during the exchange, saying, “We are not close to causing a scene. Don’t worry.”
The moment has ignited a fresh wave of debate online, with many immigrants — especially from the Indian diaspora — sharing the clip as a symbol of growing frustration over policy uncertainty and shifting rhetoric around legal immigration in the US.
A woman of Indian origin confronted US Vice President JD Vance during a campus event at the University of Mississippi, questioning his administration’s increasingly restrictive approach to legal immigration and its impact on those who came to America “by the book.”
The exchange took place at a Turning Point USA event on Wednesday, where Vance fielded questions from students and attendees. The woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, passionately challenged the Vice President’s comments about reducing immigration levels.
“When you talk about too many immigrants here, when did you guys decide that number?” she asked. “You made us spend our youth, our wealth in this country and gave us a dream. You don’t owe us anything. We have worked hard for it.”
She went on to question how the administration could justify restricting legal immigration after encouraging skilled workers and students to build their lives in the United States.
“How can you, as a Vice President, stand there and say that ‘We have too many of them now, and we are going to take them out’ — to people who are here rightfully so, by paying the money that you guys asked us? You gave us the path, and now how can you stop it and tell us we don’t belong here anymore?”
Vance, a leading voice in the Trump administration’s immigration overhaul, reiterated his view that the US must “get the overall numbers way, way down.” While he did not specify an ideal cap on legal immigration, he said the current levels were “far higher than what’s sustainable.”
“Just because one person or 10 people or 100 people came in illegally and contributed to the U.S., does that mean that we are thereby committed to let in a million or 10 million or 100 million people a year in the future? No, that’s not right,” Vance said.
His response drew a mix of applause and murmurs from the audience. The woman’s remarks, however, earned widespread applause and have since gone viral after footage of the exchange surfaced on social media platforms.
During the same interaction, the woman also questioned Vance about his interfaith marriage to a Hindu woman and whether it had shaped his worldview.
Vance responded, “I honestly do wish that because I believe in the Christian gospel and I hope eventually my wife comes to see it the same way. But if she doesn’t, then God says everybody has free will, and so that doesn’t cause a problem for me.”
The Vice President smiled briefly during the exchange, saying, “We are not close to causing a scene. Don’t worry.”
The moment has ignited a fresh wave of debate online, with many immigrants — especially from the Indian diaspora — sharing the clip as a symbol of growing frustration over policy uncertainty and shifting rhetoric around legal immigration in the US.