A social media spat between American Indian leaders over H-1B visas gained more attention when Stephen Horn, one of the rioters and former journalist, responded to it on January 6. “Hindu Indians are very angry that the Christian Indian is not using his position in American politics to attract more Indians,” Horn commented on
Refraining from organizing along ethnic lines is the minimum we should expect from foreigners in our country.
“The dispute began when Texas Republican Party Chairman Abraham George, who is of Indian descent, called for an end to the H-1B visa program, calling it 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 on X.Siddharth, founder of the American Indian Defense Council, responded that George ignored the rise in xenophobic hatred targeting Indian Americans in Texas, an inherently red state. He wrote: “Are you afraid you will be deported?” George responded prompting Siddharth to respond: “Are you kidding me? This is your response to taking a responsible statement on the rampant racism against Indians?”
Tensions have erupted amid a crackdown on the use of the H-1B visa in Texas. State authorities have frozen H-1B hiring at government agencies and universities, and investigations are ongoing into three H-1B hiring companies.
Who is Stephen Horn?
Stephen Horn describes himself as a freelance journalist and runs The Triangle Trumpet on Substack. He is known for covering the events of January 6. He was arrested in April 2021 for entering the U.S. Capitol during the breach, convicted of four misdemeanors in September 2023, and sentenced in January 2024 to 12 months probation, a $2,000 fine, and 90 hours of community service.