Florida politician censured for urging deportation of all Indians in US

Following weeks of public pressure, the Palm Bay City Council voted 3-2 on Oct. 16 to censure Council member Chandler Langevin for posting anti-Indian statements on X, including “Deport every Indian immediately.”

The censure prohibits him from introducing agenda items without majority approval, removes him from all city boards and committees and bars him from giving reports during meetings. Earlier this month, the council sent a letter to Governor Ron DeSantis requesting Langevin’s suspension from office.

Langevin’s comments began appearing on X in late September, drawing immediate backlash from Palm Bay residents and community groups. In one post, he wrote that Indians come to the United States to “drain our pockets” before returning to India, “or worse … to stay.” Dozens of residents attended council meetings demanding his resignation and condemning what they described as racist behavior. One resident told him, “Chandler, you are all open carry, maybe you should stop carrying around your hate, your racism and white supremacy.”

State and local leaders also criticized the remarks. Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried called the statements “vile and reprehensible,” while advocacy organizations representing Indian Americans urged state officials to remove Langevin from office. The Brevard County Republican Party issued a statement distancing itself from him, saying his comments “in no way reflect the views of the Brevard Republican Party.”

Langevin’s comments came amid rising reports of harassment and discrimination against South Asian Americans nationwide. The advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate found a 40% increase of Anti-Asian slurs in extremist online spaces between January 2023 and July 2025. South Asians were the most frequent targets, with anti-South Asian slurs doubling from about 23,000 in January 2023 to more than 46,000 in August 2024, making up 60% of anti-Asian slurs recorded that month. Civil rights organizations have warned that inflammatory rhetoric from public figures can contribute to a hostile environment for immigrant communities.

Langevin has defended his remarks as political commentary and said he would not step down. “I’m not the first Republican to make a mean tweet,” he wrote on X after the vote. He later filed a lawsuit against the city, arguing that the censure violated his First Amendment rights and restricted his ability to perform official duties.