Nalin Haley, son of Republican figure Nikki Haley, and British American journalist Mehdi Hasan have clashed in a fiery exchange on social media, sparking intense debate over immigration policy in the United States.
The online confrontation between Haley and Hasan unfolded over social media, drawing attention for its sharp back-and-forth on immigration in the United States. The debate ignited when Nalin Haley voiced his support for ending mass immigration to the U.S., framing it as a policy issue tied to national interests. Hasan quickly responded by pointing out the personal connection, reminding Haley that his own grandfather had migrated to the United States from India in 1969, highlighting the irony in opposing immigration given his family’s history.
On Thursday, Haley took to X to call for an end to mass immigration, arguing that the United States is facing challenges such as overcrowding, economic instability, and the growing impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the labor market.
READ: Naturalized Americans warned: US citizenship no longer guaranteed (
Haley also suggested that individual states should have the authority to reject H-1B visas for foreign workers. He called for stricter scrutiny of foreign employees in light of a recent policy change by the Trump administration, which introduced a substantial $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa 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 in a post on X.
In response, Mehdi Hasan, founder of the media company Zeteo, fired back by highlighting Nalin Haley’s own family history on X. Hasan reminded readers that Haley’s grandfather, Ajit Singh Randhawa, had immigrated to the United States from India in 1969, pointing to the irony in his opposition to immigration.
“Nalin’s grandfather, Ajit Singh Randhawa, the late father of Nikki Haley, a Sikh immigrant from India, had to confront similar bogus anti-immigrant arguments from the right when he moved to the US for work in 1969,” Hasan wrote in a post on X.
READ: Nikki Haley gaining ground in New Hampshire: poll (
Soon after Hasan’s remark, Haley fired back, dismissing the comparison and intensifying the clash by suggesting that the journalist should be “denaturalized” if he hates this country so much. Haley wrote on X: “This ain’t 1969 bud. And you should be denaturalized. All you do is complain about America anyway.”
Nalin Haley’s grandfather, Ajit Singh Randhawa, originally from Punjab, immigrated to the United States more than 55 years ago and went on to build an accomplished academic career. He earned a master’s degree in biology, completed a PhD at the University of British Columbia, and in 1969 joined the faculty at Voorhees College in South Carolina. Randhawa died in June 2024. Similarly, Mehdi Hasan, a British-American journalist, also traces his roots to India, with his parents having migrated from Hyderabad to the UK.
Ironically, Nalin Haley, a second-generation immigrant whose grandfather moved to the United States from India, has taken a staunchly anti-immigration stance, calling for strict limits on foreign arrivals. In contrast, Mehdi Hasan openly acknowledges his family’s immigrant background, using it to highlight the contributions of immigrants and push back against Haley’s position.