Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi responded to Palm Bay City Councilman Langevin, who mocked him and called him a foreign occupier. 

Published on: Sep 17, 2026, 10:52:44 IST

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US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has hit back at a Florida city councilman after the politician told him to “take your curry and go home”, reviving a long-running dispute over remarks targeting Indian Americans and immigrants.

Palm Bay City Councilman Chandler Langevin directed the comment at Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat representing Illinois, in a post on X. Krishnamoorthi responded by saying he had no intention of leaving the United States.

“I’m staying. So is the curry. America is my home. No bigot gets to decide who is American, who belongs here, or what they have for dinner. That’s the America I’ll always fight for,” Krishnamoorthi said.

Why Raja Krishnamoorthi and Chandler Langevin are clashing

Langevin’s posts have also directly targeted Krishnamoorthi since last year. In one 2025 post, he described the congressman as a “foreign occupier” and mocked his name, according to Florida Today.

Krishnamoorthi, who was born in India and raised in Peoria, Illinois, previously responded to the remarks by saying that he was an American elected by voters in Illinois.

The Palm Bay City Council took action against Langevin in October 2025 following the controversy. The council voted 4-1 to ask Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to suspend him from office and later voted 3-2 to censure him. The censure restricted his ability to introduce agenda items, speak during council reports and serve on city-appointed boards and committees.

Langevin later challenged the city's action in federal court. The city agreed to pay $55,000 to settle the lawsuit in February 2026, according to the report.

Fresh remarks revive debate over Indian Americans

Langevin's latest comments come as Krishnamoorthi has separately spoken out against other recent remarks targeting South Asian Americans.

On September 10, Krishnamoorthi criticized a Department of Homeland Security social media post that depicted a man identified as “Mr. Singh” and told him to “self-deport or find out”. Krishnamoorthi said Sikh and South Asian Americans “are as American as anyone” and described the United States as their country and home.

Three days later, he also condemned a post by Texas Republican Railroad Commission nominee Bo French that targeted South Asian students at the University of Texas. Krishnamoorthi said the students were being demonized based on their appearance.

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