Florida politician censured over remarks calling for mass deportation of Indians

"Indians don't assimilate. They're here to drain our pockets and get back to India rich… or worse… to stay,” Chandler Langevin said among other remarks.

A politician in Florida in United States was censured by the city council, which voted 3-2 to make the decision against him.

Langevin has said his aim was to start a “discourse” on immigration policies. (X/ @ChandlerforPB)

Palm Bay council member Chandler Langevin, who was elected last year, has drawn the ire of national Indian American groups, members of Congress and local residents after he made a string of social media posts against and called for mass deportation of Indians, The Washington Post reported.

The council resolution requires him to get a consensus before he puts something on the agenda, silences him during commissioner comments and removes him from committees, according to Central Florida Public Media.

Langevin made posts like "There's not a single Indian that cares about the United States", also calling on US President Donald Trump to revoke all Indian visas.

"Indians don't assimilate. They're here to drain our pockets and get back to India rich… or worse… to stay,” he had earlier told reporters.

His comments have drawn outrage among the Indian community, with residents and members of the regional and national Indian American groups flooding meetings at Palm Bay’s city council chambers. The groups have further denounced the remarks made by him and demanded his resignation, The Washington Post reported.

Langevin, in a phone call with The Washington Post, said his aim was to start a “discourse” on immigration policies, adding that he was not the first Republican “to make a mean tweet.”

In a post on X, he said he had filed a suit against the city.

“Unfortunately, at last night’s Palm Bay City Council meeting they voted 3-2 to not only censure me but to add punitive measures that strip me of primary duties as a councilman,” he said. He further suggested that the Florida Governor would not remove him, adding that the the Commission on Ethics had not accepted the complaint against him.

“This is a plain and simple case of 1st Amendment retaliation and sets a dangerous precedent that any majority can silence any minority within a representative form of government for disagreeing with their policy,” Langevin added.

During the meeting wherein Langevin was censured, Mayor Rob Medina said council members were “overwhelmed by everything.” “This nation was founded on immigrants. … We are all part of the very fabric of the flag, our banner, the United States of America,” The Washington Post quoted Medina as saying.

Advocacy group calls on Florida Guv to remove Langevin from office

US advocacy group Hindus for Human Rights wrote and published a letter to Florida Governor Ron De Santis, calling on him to remove Langevin from office.

Under the Florida law, Santis has the power to suspend municipal officials. Former chair of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association Bharat Patel, during an October 2 council meeting, said Langevin's remarks “echo some of history’s darkest rhetoric”, which could potentially inspire acts of violence, according to The Washington Post.

Prashant Patel, president of the Indian American Business Association and Chamber, called Langevin's remarks deeply polarising.