WASHINGTON, D.C. – Democratic Party Congressman Ro Khanna has accused American conservative commentators of starting a campaign online, criticizing India on trade and H1-B visa holders. Popular figures with large audiences are focusing on Indian workers, students, and outsourcing companies, using language that many have labelled as racist and hypocritical.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham posted on X that any trade deal with India would mean issuing more H1-B Visas to Indians. She argued against it, saying the US should not “pay” with visas or increased trade deficits, and suggested India could negotiate with China instead.
Donald Trump supporter Charlie Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA, added to the criticism by posting that US workers are being replaced by Indians through legal immigration. He said the US does not need more H1-B visas for Indians and claimed that American workers have lost too many jobs already.
This wave of criticism comes after the 2024 US election, when many Indian American voters backed the Republican Party for the first time, dissatisfied with Democratic leadership.
Further fuelling the debate, commentator Jack Posobiec pushed for steep tariffs targeting India’s outsourcing sector. He called for a 100 percent tariff on foreign call centres and remote workers, arguing for stronger protection of US jobs.
Pushback From Indian-American Community
These comments sparked strong reactions from Indian Americans, many of whom had recently started supporting conservative candidates.
One Indian American social media user expressed disappointment in the shift, saying many felt regret after seeing such rhetoric. She noted that while some immigration limits are reasonable, the recent messages cross into racism.
Journalist Billy Binion also responded, calling out what he described as a sense of entitlement from some conservatives. He argued that they fear competition from immigrants who outperform them, despite claiming to value merit.
The criticism comes at a time when President Trump raised tariffs on Indian goods to 50 percent, the highest level for any US trade partner. Chinese products face tariffs of 30 percent by comparison.
At the same time, the administration revoked thousands of student visas for Indians, while over 600,000 Chinese students are currently studying in the US.
Workers from India make up about 75 percent of H-1B visa holders and contribute to major tech companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. There are over 200,000 Indian students in the US, who add billions of dollars to American universities and local communities each year.
Advocates for more Indian migration say that closing these doors could hurt America’s position in technology and higher education.
Congressman Ro Khanna, who represents Indian Americans in Congress, accused President Trump of risking an important relationship between the two countries.
He said America cannot let Trump’s ego harm ties with India, especially at a time when US leadership is being challenged by China. Trump has called the US-India trade relationship a “disaster,” blaming New Delhi for high tariffs on US exports and for buying energy from Russia.
In response, India has dismissed the US administration’s concerns as unfair and stressed that its energy choices reflect national needs and market conditions.
H-1B Visas and the Controversy
The H-1B visa program in the United States allows employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations requiring advanced skills or education, typically in fields like technology, engineering, and medicine.
The program is capped at 85,000 visas annually (65,000 for bachelor’s degree holders and 20,000 for advanced degree holders). It’s a temporary, non-immigrant visa, initially valid for three years, extendable to six, and often tied to employer sponsorship.
While it’s meant to address skill shortages, it has sparked significant controversy.
Critics contend that H-1B visas take jobs from American workers, especially in tech. They argue companies exploit the program to hire cheaper foreign labour, undercutting wages for U.S. citizens.
For example, cases like Disney, where American IT workers were laid off and replaced by H1-B visa workers (often through outsourcing firms like Infosys), fueled claims of abuse. Critics point to data showing that some firms pay H1-B workers below market rates, with median salaries for H-1B workers in tech often lower than for U.S. counterparts.
Cultural tensions also arise, with some critics framing the program as favouring certain nationalities (e.g., Indian workers, who make up ~70% of H-1B recipients) over others, though this is less about the program’s design and more about application patterns.
Defenders argue that prevailing wage requirements, enforced by the Department of Labour, prevent significant underpayment. However, loopholes in wage calculations and lax enforcement are often cited as problems by critics.
