While the Indian-American community’s presence in the job and housing markets has long faced criticism online, a new front has opened up in the social media culture war: everyday grocery shopping.A viral post on X (formerly Twitter) including a video from a Texas Costco sparked a wave of “invasion” rhetoric and targeted harassment against Indian Americans.“Costco has opened its first store in New Delhi! Just kidding, this was filmed at a Costco in Texas,” the caption quipped, as the clip showed families shopping at Costco. The post quickly became a firebrand for anti-immigrant sentiment, with one user sharing a photo of a Home Depot about 3 miles away and another claiming that three other Costcos in the area looked similar.
One user asked: “Why are we importing millions of people when the country’s debt is $39 trillion, and real Americans are having trouble getting jobs and paying for basic things.” “I live just north of Dallas. I regularly go to three different Costcos depending on what part of town I live in at the time. All three of these Costcos are 90% Indian. They all drive brand new Teslas and they all live in homes worth at least $600k. @GregAbbott_TX did this on purpose and quite frankly as a Texas resident, it hurts.”
added another.“I can confirm this.. This is what it looks like now and it has actually escalated after 2020.. Add a huge number of Chinese to the equation. The outer suburban parts of Houston, Dallas, FA, Austin and SA all look like huge construction sites everywhere. There must be hundreds of thousands if not millions of new homes built over the last couple of years on former farmland and large lots.. I was wondering who are all these people moving here? I think we know now and I know I bet it’s allowed They are all voted on and placed in top roles by corrupt HR departments.
“Americans and Westerners are being kicked out of course,” one user claimed while adding that a similar scene could be spotted at local gyms and grocery stores. One wrote: “I love people all over the world. I really do, but living in North Dallas I feel invaded. If they were willing to integrate, that might be okay, but when they want to change everything, no, no thank you. America, love it or leave it.”Many have blamed Texas Governor Greg Abbott for the state’s increasing American Indian population, with Frisco’s population in particular rising 4,510% in the past 20 years.
The rhetoric, while heated, points to real and very rapid demographic change in the North Texas suburbs. According to a city government survey, Indians and other Asians make up 33% of Frisco’s population, compared to 10% in 2010. According to Indian Americans, they contribute to the economy. “When we buy homes, we’re not just buying real estate,” Moni Janagarajan said, according to the Dallas Morning News.
“We fund world-class parks and Frisco ISD, one of the top-rated school districts in Texas that benefits every child in the city.”However, since the beginning of 2026, there has been a targeted attack against the presence of Indians in the state and cities, especially Frisco and Plano. Recently, city council meetings have turned into a verbal confrontation between right-wing individuals and people of Indian origin. MAGA residents were angry about Indians buying homes and securing jobs in the country while attacking their culture in massive online posts.
