Right Wing Media Intensify Anti Indian Rhetoric Across US

Right-wing media figures and online influencers have intensified attacks against Indian immigrants and Indian Americans in the United States, with the rhetoric growing around debates over H-1B visas and viral social media posts targeting South Asian communities.

The trend has drawn attention after a September post by Texas Railroad Commission candidate Bo French about South Asian students celebrating a University of Texas football victory became a national controversy. Some students in the image were US citizens, according to Vox.

French wrote, "The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined," referring to the image of students at the game.

Indian American advocates said the episode reflected a broader increase in online hostility. Sidharth Ram, founder of the Indian American Advocacy Council, said the assumption that brown people in the image were not American was concerning.

Media Matters reported that commentators in conservative media have described Indian immigrants as "harmful to America" and claimed the country was being "invaded by Indians" who "have abused the H-1B visa system in order to change America forever."

The H-1B program has become a major point of disagreement on the right, with immigration hardliners seeking restrictions while technology companies defend the visas as a way to recruit skilled workers. The Trump administration has also increased scrutiny of H-1B applications and pursued higher fees for the program, according to reports cited by Media Matters.

Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of the AAPI Equity Alliance, described rising hostility toward South Asians as a growing concern.

"Hateful rhetoric against South Asians is widespread, growing and showing no signs of letting up," Kulkarni said, according to Media Matters.

Kulkarni also said there had been "marked spikes in online slurs and threats of violence directed at the Indian community" and linked the rhetoric to conspiracy theories about demographic change.

Indian American communities in Texas said they have seen a difference between online attacks and daily life experiences. Karthik Soora, a Houston-based entrepreneur and former state senate candidate, said his personal experience in Texas had mostly been positive but that online discussion had shifted toward hostility.

Ravi Kapur, founder of South Asian television network Diya TV, said social media incentives encourage inflammatory content because creators gain attention from controversy.

"You are inciting rage," Kapur said. "You are inciting the public to engage on your post, and thus you become a bigger figure online."

Media Matters also documented comments from several far-right personalities targeting Indian communities. Christopher Rufo and Jonathan Keeperman discussed assimilation and race in a video titled "The Indian Question," while other influencers promoted claims portraying Indian immigration as a threat.

The debate has unfolded as Indian Americans remain one of the most economically successful immigrant groups in the United States. Vox reported that Texas has one of the largest Indian American populations in the country, with more than half a million people according to an estimate by Pew Research Center.