Outrage over his comments has upended the community and rippled beyond it. Since Sept. 29, residents and members of regional and national Indian American groups have flooded meetings at Palm Bay’s city council chambers, released statements denouncing his remarks and demanded his resignation.
Late Thursday, Langevin’s fellow council members voted 3-2 to censure him.“We’re all overwhelmed by everything,” Mayor Rob Medina, who is a member of the council, said during the meeting. “This nation was founded on immigrants. … We are all part of the very fabric of the flag, our banner, the United States of America.”
National advocacy group Hindus for Human Rights has published a letter calling on Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) — who under Florida law has the power to suspend municipal officials — to remove Langevin from office. At an Oct. 2 council meeting, Bharat Patel, the former chair of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association, said the council member’s remarks “echo some of history’s darkest rhetoric,” potentially even inspiring acts of violence. Prashant Patel, president of the Indian American Business Association and Chamber, told council members that Langevin’s actions are deeply polarizing.
In a phone call with The Washington Post on Wednesday, Langevin said he had aimed to start “discourse” about immigration policies. “I’m not the first Republican to make a mean tweet,” he said.
Palm Bay, on Florida’s eastern coast, has also sent a letter to DeSantis demanding that he remove Langevin from office. DeSantis’s office has not responded to the letter nor to The Post’s requests for comment….
Note…
Indians make up the second largest foreign-born group in the United States, after Mexicans, accounting for 6 percent of all 47.8 million foreign-born residents as of 2023.
The Indian population in the United States has grown continuously and substantially since 1960, with the greatest number of arrivals between 2000 and 2023. On average, Indian immigrants are highly skilled and earn significant incomes: the vast majority hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, their median income is more than double that of the U.S.- and overall foreign-born populations, and their likelihood of living in poverty is half that of these groups….
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