Texas Republican Party Chairman Abraham George clashed with Indian American Advocacy Council founder Siddharth on social media over H-1B and asked the latter if he feared being deported.
The online spat came at a time when Indian-American groups are concerned about growing hatred against Indians in the United States. The controversy began after Abraham George called for an end to the H-1B program and said that this visa program is rife with fraud. “H-1B visas are rife with fraud and displacement of American workers. It must stop. We must make it a legislative priority for the Texas Republican Party to rid our state of H-1B and put Texans first. #AmericaFirst,” George wrote.
Abraham George was born in India and came to the United States when he was sixteen years old. Thousands of Indians come to the United States under H-1B visas, although people from other countries also come to the United States under this visa program. The current hatred for India and the attack on the H-1B visa program are ongoing simultaneously in MAGA circles.
The state of Texas has already taken several steps against H-1B visa abuse. The administration froze H-1B hiring at state agencies and public universities.
Three H-1B companies are also being investigated. The administration was alerted by journalist and whistleblower Sarah Gonzalez from Texas who conducted her own investigation into alleged H-1B abuse. She visited employers and found that there were no offices. Although many IT staffing companies hire H-1Bs for large technology companies and these staffing companies may not have their own offices, everything H-1B related is now subject to scrutiny in Texas.
In response to Abraham George’s anti-H-1B letter, Indian-American community leader Siddharth said George has remained silent on the xenophobia crisis targeting Indian-Americans in his state. Counting the achievements of Indian Americans in Texas, Siddharth said that instead of standing up to hatred targeting a community that has invested billions in the Texas economy, the GOP president was appeasing and threatening the same crowd.
“Are you afraid you will be deported?” Ibrahim George answered. “Are you kidding me? Is this your response to making a responsible statement about the rampant racism against Indians?” Siddharth replied. A major controversy erupted after an old video of Indian-origin engineer Madhu Raju dancing at the World War II Memorial went viral. Social media users demanded his deportation, accusing him of violating the H-1B law.
