‘Significant flaws:’ Palm Bay council pushes to suspend councilman over Indian immigration critiques

PALM BAY, Fla. – After Palm Bay Councilman Chandler Langevin received criticisms over comments he made critiquing Indian migration to the U.S. this week, the city council voted to send a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis requesting Langevin’s suspension.

In a now-deleted X post, Langevin wrote the following over the weekend:

“There’s not a single Indian that cares about the United States.

They are here to exploit us financially and enrich India and Indians.

America for Americans."

Chandler Langevin on X

Since then, Langevin received heavy criticism from members of the public and fellow councilmembers alike.

In fact, Councilman Kenny Johnson asked Langevin to step down or face being suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“I pray that he does have a change of heart, but if he doesn’t, then I’m looking to move forward, as such,” Johnson said.

However, Langevin later clarified that he was not necessarily speaking about Indian-Americans, but rather visa holders and migrants.

“There are certainly Americans that have Indian heritage, but they are still Americans,” he wrote. “That said, they are a small percentage of all Indians and Americans of Indian descent in the country. There is significant issue with illegal Indians, H1-b abuse, and even naturalized Indians that believe America is an economic zone to enrich Indians.”

The councilman has launched several criticisms against U.S. illegal immigration policies and worker visa programs — particularly when it comes to H-1B visas — arguing that they result in fewer opportunities and resources for American citizens.

In 2024 alone, federal data from the USCIS shows that over 70% of the nearly 400,000 approved H-1B petitions were for workers whose country of birth was India.

Many critics of the program say that H-1B workers undercut American workers, luring people from overseas who are often willing to work for less than American workers do.

The issue gained even more traction earlier this year when the Trump administration decided to slap a $100,000 fee on H-1B visas for new workers. DeSantis has also touched on the issue here in Florida.

Despite the clarifications, the city council voted 4-1 on Thursday evening to send DeSantis a letter to request Langevin’s suspension, as well as his censure and a violation draft to be forwarded to the Florida Commission of Ethics.

“You have spread fear among our people, our community, and the Indian community, as well,” Deputy Mayor Mike Jaffe said during Thursday’s meeting.

Nearly 80 people signed up to speak during Thursday’s meeting, many of them Indian-American residents and business owners. They called Langevin’s comments offensive and said they misrepresent the contributions their community makes in Palm Bay.

Regardless, Langevin again posted to X following the vote, saying that the outcome was “expected.”

Langevin has also said that he stands by his comments, as he believes that there are “significant flaws in our immigration system that are working against Americans.”

In addition, the councilman stated he will be meeting with leaders of the local Indian community in the near future to “have deeper conversations on how we can work together to solve issues at the national and local level.” He said he does not plan to resign.