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As the Trump administration expands its crackdown on immigration, the United States is witnessing a spike in rhetoric against Indians. The Indian-American community have become a visible target of the far right and conservatives in the US.
A growing number of American businesses are facing a rise in anti-Indian racism. This comes amid the US administration’s crackdown on H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers.
We take a closer look.
US businesses face anti-Indian racism
FedEx, Walmart and Verizon are among the US businesses experiencing racism against Indians, according to a Financial Times (FT) report.
A video of a wrecked FedEx lorry spread on X just before Christmas, leading to attacks against the Indian heritage of the logistics company’s chief executive.
“Stop the fucking Indian takeover of our great American companies,” a user commented.
FedEx chief executive Raj Subramaniam has been accused of firing white American workers and replacing them with Indians. These allegations have been fanned by right-wing commentators, including Andrew Torba, founder of social media platform Gab.
FedEx has denied the charges.
“For more than 50 years, FedEx has fostered a merit-based culture that creates opportunity for everyone,” the company was quoted as saying by FT. “We take great pride that this has resulted in a workforce that represents the diversity of the more than 220 countries and territories we serve.”
Last September, the US government launched “Project Firewall” to probe allegations of widespread H-1B visa fraud. This resulted in anonymous social media accounts doxxing the information of current and former employees at Walmart, Verizon, Dish Network and other companies, claiming they were illegally selling jobs to Indians and taking kickbacks.
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View All“Indian Green Card Managers must be kicked out of the country,” a post featuring screenshots of a Walmart recruiter’s LinkedIn page read.
The incident prompted a sharp rebuke from Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, an ally of President Donald Trump. “The idea that a ‘heritage American’ is more American than another American is un-American at its core,” Ramaswamy said at the conservative conference AmericaFest in December.
Ramaswamy, who was born to Indian immigrants, has himself faced xenophobic attacks from Trump’s Maga base. Social media users told him to “Go back to your country” and fix his “home” on his Halloween post.
Recently, Turning Point USA affiliate and influencer Kambree shared a clip on X, saying that parts of Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas, “no longer feel like America” and likened the area to “India” due to its visible Indian community and businesses.
The video, originally tweeted by content creator Wall Street Apes, demonstrated a street with various Indian grocery stores and eateries. The caption of the clip said, “Americans in Dallas, Texas say they aren’t in Texas anymore, “We’re in India” This is actually wild, we are losing our country “Dallas Texas is the most Indian place in America” (sic).”
To this, Kambree posted: “It’s not just Dallas, it’s the ENTIRE DFW area. This started 16 years ago.”
Why anti-India rhetoric is surging in the US
Threats of violence against South Asian people rose 12 per cent in the year to November, FT reported, citing an analysis by advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate and counterterrorism company Moonshot.
As per the group, online use of slurs against South Asians increased 69 per cent.
The non-profit Center for the Study of Organized Hate has tracked “co-ordinated campaigns” to harass Indian American entrepreneurs who received loans from the government agency Small Business Administration.
The hostility, according to executive director Raqib Naik, is a part of a “spike in discrimination and harassment in the US portraying Indians as job stealers and visa scammers”.
Hate against Indians has surged in the US with the Trump administration cracking down on immigration, including revamping the H-1B visa system.
Indian nationals make up 71 per cent of H-1B visa holders. Trump’s Maga base has criticised the H-1B visa system as it is not “America First” enough.
The Trump administration has announced a $100,000 (Rs 90.43 lakh) fee on H-1B worker visas. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said it will give preference to H-1B applications from the highest-paid workers from February, in an effort to “better protect American workers”.
As per experts, anti-Indian rhetoric online spiked after Trump announced changes to the H-1B visa programme in September.
Shift in US companies’ stance
Amid Trump’s crackdown, many US companies have refrained from commenting on racial issues.
Last year, dozens of companies suspended their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts after opposition from top Republicans.
Advocacy groups told FT that this shift has made companies more hesitant to call out against anti-Indian racism or to support cultural celebrations such as Diwali.
FBI Director Kash Patel has come under fire from Maga over his Diwali greetings. Patel’s brief post on X last year read: “Happy Diwali — celebrating the Festival of Lights around the world, as good triumphs over evil.”
This triggered a storm of anti-Hindu remarks on the social media platform.
With inputs from agencies
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