The American Hindu Foundation criticized Texas politicians for linking the recent shootings in Austin to immigrant and skilled worker (H1-B) visas, calling the reaction “ridiculous political theater.”In a post on X, the advocacy group responded to attempts to link the attack to the H-1B visa program, saying the gunman was not a visa holder but a long-settled American citizen. “Texas politicians are blaming H-1B visas for the Austin shootings. The suspect was a US citizen, long settled in the country, not a foreign worker on a visa,” the group said.She added: “Using a tragedy to attack skilled migrants? This is not politics. We reject that.”
This is ridiculous political theater. please. Make it make sense.”
The comments came after a mass shooting in downtown Austin, Texas, where 53-year-old Ndiaja Diagne opened fire outside a crowded bar, killing two people and wounding 14 others before she was shot and killed by police.
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Reports revealed that Diagne was originally from Senegal and entered the United States on a tourist visa in 2000. He later became a legal permanent resident after marrying a US citizen in 2006 and obtaining citizenship in 2013.
Despite this, the shooting sparked a political campaign from many Texas Republicans to halt immigration programs. More than 70 Republican lawmakers signed a letter to Congress urging sweeping restrictions, including an immediate freeze on the issuance of H-1B visas, a program that allows US companies to hire highly skilled foreign professionals in specialized fields.In the letter, the lawmakers said stricter controls were necessary for national security, and called for a temporary halt to immigration so authorities could better track and screen individuals entering the country. The demands also included full funding for the Department of Homeland Security and redirecting resources toward identifying potential threats that already exist within the United States.