Who is Nalin Haley? Nikki Haley's son who wants to ban H‑1B visas and make immigrants 'assimilate' into American culture

At 24, Nalin Haley is the son of Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and US ambassador to the United Nations.

The Indian-American elite was raised in the public eye and educated at Villanova University. Recently, Nalin has stirred a row due to his outspoken views on immigration and foreign-worker visas.

Position on H‑1B and immigration

In an interview with Fox News, Nalin made clear that there is no need for foreign worker visas: “At the end of the day, my loyalty is to America and that’s part of assimilation.” He went on to say, “We need to get rid of the foreign worker visas. We need to ban H‑1B visas. And we need to punish companies that are not putting American workers first and are putting foreigners first. It is a massive problem.”

He also explained the personal reason behind the position: “My main friend group graduated with great degrees from great schools. It’s been a year and a half since graduation. Not one of them has a job.”

Why Nalin's 'America first' stance stands out

Given his mother’s Indian-American heritage, Nalin’s stance has sparked considerable debate. While some MAGA activists have celebrated his anti-immigration position, others have pointed out his own roots as a form of hypocrisy.

Nalin said: “I mean, they shouldn’t be because I’ve seen how it’s affected my friends and those around me. At the end of the day, my loyalty is to America.”

Nalin’s argument focuses on assimilation and national identity . He takes a firm stance against those who think they can stay as they were, saying they need to fully embrace American culture.

Nalin criticised previous approaches to immigration and said people need to "assimilate": “What we saw with Obama is that we had a lot of immigrants coming here, and the thought was, ‘Oh, you don’t need to change. You don’t need to have your loyalty to America. You could be who you are’. No, you need to assimilate. And you need to act like an American and support American values and support American workers and American people.”

Where this might lead

Nalin is not currently in elected office; however, his views align with a strand of American political discourse that favours tightening legal immigration, prioritising American workers over H‑1B visa holders, and reassessing corporate reliance on foreign-worker visas. His remarks could influence younger conservative voices and reflect generational frustrations in the job market.