‘I’m just like Americans…’: Indian-American man trolled after posting photo of girlfriend voting in Virginia redistricting election
An Indian-origin man was trolled and asked to return to India after he posted a photo of his girlfriend voting in a Virginia referendum.
An Indian-American man named Krishan Patel faced malicious online attacks after he posted a photo of his girlfriend voting “yes” in a Virginia redistricting election. The result of the referendum favored the Democrats, but the courts have now ruled that the referendum was invalid.However, the photo prompted some social media users to ask how Patel could vote in the election. One person wrote: “You are a foreigner in India who should not be here at all and certainly should not vote.”Patel responded that he was born in the United States, and not even his parents, but his grandparents, were immigrants. “I am a birthright citizen of the United States of America, born and raised in Orange County, California. My grandparents came to our great country as immigrants, worked hard for many years, and became American citizens. My skin may not be white, but I’m American,” he said.The war of words between Patel and his trolls continues. “I was born in Orange County, California. I am as American as Ronald Reagan. My allegiance is to the United States,” he wrote. “Want to see my passport? My REAL ID? These are rhetorical questions – I bet you’re one of those idiots who thinks President Obama was born in Kenya and not Hawaii,” he replied to another hater.“I am an atheist from a Hindu family, born in Orange County, California,” said Patel, who one social media user speculated was Muslim.“Birthright citizenship will be lost. You will be deported back to India. You are the enemy of free white America. Your girlfriend is a traitor to our people,” one comment read.“You may say this is racist, but it’s just the reality of being an American. What allows you (or your family) to immigrate here and not be assimilated and then arrogantly deny representation to Americans who have been here for hundreds of years? How would you feel if a bunch of Africans did this in India?” read another comment.
