Texas Republican Party Chairman Abraham George clashed with Indian American Advocacy Council founder Siddharth on social media over the H-1B issue, asking the latter if he was worried he would be deported. The online spat comes as Indian-American groups are concerned about growing hatred against Indians in the United States. The controversy began when Abraham George called for an end to H-1B and said the visa program was riddled with fraud. “H-1B visas are rife with fraud and displacing American workers. This has to stop. We must make this a legislative priority for the Texas Republican Party to eliminate H-1B visas in our state and put Texans first. #AmericaFirst,” George posted. Abraham George was born in India and came to America when he was 16 years old. Thousands of Indians come to the United States on the H-1B visa, although people from other countries also come to the United States through this visa program. The current hatred against India and attacks on the H-1B visa program are going hand in hand in MAGA circles. Texas has taken several steps to combat H-1B visa abuse. The administration has frozen H-1B hiring at state agencies and state universities. Investigations into three H-1B companies are also ongoing. The government was alerted by Texas journalist and whistleblower Sara Gonzales, who conducted her own investigation into alleged H-1B abuses. She visited her employer and found there was no office. Although many IT staffing companies hire H-1Bs for large tech companies, and these staffing companies may not have their own offices, everything related to H-1Bs is now under heavy scrutiny in Texas. Reacting to Abraham George’s anti-H-1B message, Indian-American community leader Siddharth said George was silent on the xenophobic hate crisis against Indian-Americans in the state. While tallying the achievements of Indian Americans in Texas, Sidharth said that instead of standing up against the hatred directed at communities that invest billions in the Texas economy, Sidharth said that instead of pandering to the same people who threaten them. “Are you afraid of being deported?” Abraham George replied. “Are you kidding? Is this your response to making a responsible statement against rampant racism against Indians?” Siddharth retorted. A major controversy arose after an old video of Indian-origin engineer Madhu Raju dancing at the World War II Memorial went viral. Social media users accused him of violating H-1B regulations and called for his deportation.
