Bill Ackman is trolled when he defended an Indian F1 visa applicant
A social media post by a woman from the Indian state of Kerala snowballed into such a massive flashpoint that the woman deleted her X account and the post in which she expressed her helplessness because she was unable to get an appointment for an F-1 visa.
Thracy Jo Lawrence said she is from Kerala and attended Harvard Law School with a scholarship of over 90%. But now she’s stuck at the visa level because she can’t get an appointment for her F-1 visa, and she only has 25 days left. She also stated that the period could not be postponed, and opened the X account just to talk about her situation.“My name is Tracy. I am from Kerala. I am a new master’s candidate at HLS Fall 2026. I have been trying everything for about 2 months.
No openings. No dates. nothing. “My program starts on August 13. I have to be there by August 10,” the student claimed. The post and account have now been deleted.“I don’t come from a family with connections. I don’t have any connections in embassies or the government. I’m just a first-generation student who has worked for this for years — and I’m 25 days away from losing it to a vacancy,” she said.The post exploded after US billionaire Bill Ackman sympathized with Threcy and asked for help on Threcy’s behalf.
“Our immigration policies need to be reformed to allow the best and brightest to learn in the United States and stay here to create value for our country. As long as their values are aligned with the long-term interests of our country, their visas should be expedited. Can anyone in immigration help this young woman?” Bill Ackman wrote.
“The best and brightest are Americans.”
X users criticized Ackman for concluding that the Indian woman in question was among the best and brightest.
“And how, I might ask, do you determine that these are the ‘best and brightest’ in the world? Fraud is rampant in degrees awarded and letters of recommendation from students who are not US citizens (well documented, especially from India). You of all people should be better informed. Your ignorance in this area truly saddens me,” one wrote.“Why not fund Harvard in Kerala, then?” another wrote.A third user wrote: “I’m the best and the brightest and I’ve been unemployed for less than a year. Since then – I’ve applied to hundreds of jobs, built truly innovative products, and kept my family together. I’d be lonely if I didn’t save and invest. How many people do you think truly understand value creation? It takes more than Harvard to understand that.”
