Being American means nothing: MAGA influencer stands in front of Hindu temple to slam children of H-1B visa holders ahead of July 4th
MAGA influencer Elijah Schaffer, known for his hatred of Indians, filmed a video set against the backdrop of a Hindu temple in Texas while commenting on the Supreme Court’s recent ruling upholding birthright citizenship. Pointing to the children in front of the temple, the MAGA influencer said the Supreme Court decision makes them Americans just like everyone else who has lived in the United States for centuries — even though their parents came to the U.S. on H-1B visas, which are essentially non-immigrants.“That raises an interesting question. If your parents might not be American, they might be on a temporary visa, maybe they’re on a green card, maybe they’re just residents, we don’t really know, but if you have children here, those children are certainly citizens. This just seems to beg the question: What are we celebrating on the 4th of July? If we celebrate independence from Britain to gain American identity, but American identity does not require blood, sweat, finances, tears, or history...you just have to be born into this magical soil…then American identity really ceases to exist. For that matter, you really don’t know what to celebrate on the Fourth of July,” Schaefer said.Schaefer wonders how the government would address the H-1B issue and the TPS (Temporary Protected Status) issue if everyone born on U.S. soil was a citizen, because obviously their parents would be allowed to stay in the U.S. because separating families would no longer be possible.Hate speech has been met with resistance from the Indian community. “Standing in front of a temple in Frisco, Texas 🛕, while filming children, Elijah Schaffer declared that he would not celebrate the 4th of July because there are too many Indian children, children of H-1B workers, in America. But he seems to have no problem paying bribes on a platform owned by a former H-1B holder,” commentator Sandeep Neel wrote on X.“He also said he doesn’t believe someone like J.D. Vance with an ‘Indian wife’ can hold public office. Usha Vance was born in the United States, but Melania Trump was not. She is an immigrant, but he seems to be completely on board with that,” the comment added.
