A heated political debate erupted over the weekend after U.S. Vice President JD Vance drew criticism from activists and commentators who reacted sharply to his statements warning of the effects of mass migration on American workers. Some critics went as far as calling for the deportation of Vance’s wife and children — all of whom are American citizens.
The controversy began after Vance posted on X that “mass migration is theft of the American Dream,” arguing that large-scale immigration suppresses wages and benefits industries that depend on cheaper labor.
Accompanying the post was a video from a Louisiana construction business owner who said recent immigration enforcement operations had caused a noticeable labor shortage among undocumented workers, resulting in increased job opportunities for local citizens.
Vance has repeatedly voiced concerns that both illegal and certain categories of legal immigration — including the H-1B skilled-worker visa — depress wages and disadvantage American-born workers. At a Turning Point USA event in October, he stated that the U.S. had “let in too many immigrants,” linking rising migration numbers to pressure on the labor market.
According to Pew Research Center, the United States had 53.3 million immigrants living in the country as of January 2025 — the highest number ever recorded. Immigrants now make up over 15% of the U.S. population and 19% of the labor force.
Critics Respond by Targeting Vance’s Family
Rather than challenge Vance’s economic argument, some commentators went after his family.
Writer Wajahat Ali, responding to the vice president’s post, claimed that Vance’s position would require deporting his wife Usha Vance, her parents, and the couple’s biracial children.
Legal and demographic facts contradict this:
- Usha Vance is a U.S.-born American citizen.
- Her three children with the vice president are also native-born U.S. citizens.
- Her parents are high-skilled immigrants — an engineer and a molecular biologist — not low-wage laborers.
Despite this, Ali and a handful of other online critics argued that Vance should “lead by example” by removing his own family, a claim widely dismissed by legal analysts as political rhetoric rather than a substantive policy rebuttal.
Context Behind the Debate
The dispute reflects intensifying national arguments over immigration, wages, and demographic change. Vance has positioned immigration reform as a central economic issue, arguing that both undocumented migration and certain legal programs harm American workers. Critics counter that his messaging fuels xenophobia or unfairly generalizes the immigrant population.
The vice president has not responded publicly to the calls targeting his family, but allies have denounced the remarks as an attempt to distract from the broader policy debate around labor markets and border security.
