After the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued fresh policy guidance to screen family-based immigrant visa petitions, there has been a growing call in the US to entirely close off H-1B visas. However, netizens closer home have also been pointing out that the H-1B visas, and by extension visas to Indians, have only benefited the US.
“Indians have contributed a lot of America. They never get into any conflicts or violence. They respect the laws of the land they are in. But the problem is their success. Indians are the richest community in the US now. Indians college and higher education rate is highest in America. MAGA movement feels Indians succeeded at the cost of Americans. They no longer feel the need for Indians. They want Americans to be the richest and occupy all high paying jobs. Primarily fueled by jealousy, there is an increasing hatred for India and Indians,” said mutual fund distributor D Muthukrishnan.
Angel investor Rushabh Shah also said that the Indians in the US have always stood out, not for making noise but for making a difference. “They follow the rules. They value education. They contribute – as doctors, engineers, teachers, scientists, and entrepreneurs. They don’t take away from America. They add to it,” said Shah. He said with success comes resentment and people who are left behind look for someone to blame. “That’s where the danger of narratives begins and the truth gets lost…The MAGA fear that Indians “took the jobs” is misplaced. Indians didn’t take, they earned,” he said, adding, “Because a rising America should never mean a falling India.”
“Indian H-1B workers send back $30 billion in remittances. You really think the H-1B visa is some kind of leverage over India? Get real. If anything, it’s a mutual asset and the U.S. benefits just as much, if not more. Tech doesn’t run on noise. It runs on skill,” said US-based Indian tech entrepreneur Sidharth.
US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, in a call to Trump to “further punish India” after his additional tariff threats ignited a fresh debate on H-1B visas. “End Indian H1-B visas replacing American jobs instead and stop funding and sending weapons to the Obama/Biden/Neocon Ukraine Russia war,” she said.
While not tied to any formal legislative proposal, Greene’s post has amplified the political rhetoric around immigration, and that too at the peak of trade tensions between India and the US. As per USCIS data in 2024, Indian nationals account for 70 per cent of all H-1B visas issued.
