‘Put Americans first’: Nikki Haley’s son Nalin argues for limits on foreign students and dual citizens in office

Nalin Haley, son of former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, has stirred fresh debate with a new set of hardline comments on immigration and citizenship. 

Speaking on a podcast with Tucker Carlson, the 24-year-old argued that only those born in the United States should be allowed to hold public office and said the country must reduce the number of foreign students in its universities.

During the conversation, Nalin said, “Naturalized citizens should not be able to hold public office. Growing up here is a big part of understanding the country. We need to stop and limit the amount of foreign students who are coming to universities. Some of them are spies for the foreign governments…But it is just that we should put our kids first.”

He also criticised dual citizenship, saying Americans should have “loyalty to America first”. “We should also not allow dual citizenship because that is the stupidest idea. Because you are either American or not,” he said. On the issue of serving in another country’s military, he added: “That idea alone is insane. Dual citizenship is already bad enough. But to serve in another country’s military is disqualifying.”

Earlier, in an interview with the London-based outlet UnHerd, Nalin had expressed similar concerns about jobs and foreign workers. He said young Americans were struggling to find work. “My friend group — all graduated, great degrees from great schools — it’s been a year and a half, and not one of them has a job,” he said.

He also argued that foreign aid should be paused “until every American has secure employment, healthcare, and a stable living situation.” Rising housing costs, he added, had made homeownership feel out of reach. “My parents bought their first house for $90,000. That same house is probably worth $400,000 now. How can we compete?” he said.

His views stand in sharp contrast to those of his mother Nikki Haley, who has consistently supported legal and merit-based immigration. Born to Indian immigrants who moved to the US in 1969, she has often called immigration central to the American story.

Nalin’s statements have also led to online clashes. Previously, he got into a public exchange with British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan after posting on X (formerly Twitter) that the US must stop “mass immigration”. “I don’t care where you’re from — even if it’s Canada — we have to stop mass migration,” he wrote. “It’s irresponsible to let in immigrants when companies already aren’t hiring, AI is replacing jobs, and the economy is fragile. The last thing we need is foreigners taking away jobs Americans can do.”

Hasan criticised his stance, pointing out that Nalin’s own grandfather, Ajit Singh Randhawa, migrated from Punjab in 1969 and later became a college professor in the US. Nalin replied sharply: “This ain’t 1969, bud. And you should be denaturalized. All you do is complain about America anyway.”