An Indian American student who had confronted Vice President JD Vance during a Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi is now facing a wave of online backlash after a clip of the fiery exchange went viral on social media.
Users on X have flooded the platform with reactions, turning the student into an unexpected lightning rod for controversy. Many have mocked her appearance and traditional Indian attire, while others have criticized her accent and the tone of her question.
One of the users reshared her image from the viral clip on X, adding a caption that read, “dot on forehead sari and insufferable curry accent.” The same user went on to mock her further, writing, “I am American, saar! Why arden’t yourd bpolicies fordcing what I want ford yourd countrdy, saar?!” The gibberish-style post, intended to ridicule her speech and cultural identity, has already racked up over 1.4 million views, escalated into a wider social media spectacle.
Several users have commented their opinions on their post. One of them reshared that particular post, saying, “She’s on F-1 visa, which literally says you must leave the U.S. after your studies and keep a foreign residence you don’t plan to abandon. Now suddenly it’s “Amerdica betrayed me”? You agreed to be temporary from day one. She’s only proven that we need stricter immigration policy”
The post gained wide traction, with many echoing similar sentiments and calling for tougher immigration controls. The conversation soon expanded, drawing in people who claimed to have firsthand experience working with Indian professionals in major tech firms. One commenter alleged, “Every single one intends to immigrate from day one, they have talked talks with their lawyers about how to initiate the process when they get hired I worked with them at a large well-known tech company. It’s not a secret at all”
One of the comments in that post that grabbed attention was from the Founder and CEO of Caddy Finance, based in Singapore, as per his LinkedIn Profile, who stated, “Pick some random insufferable woke student who is Indian who asks inappropriate questions to JD and conflate that to the legally naturalised citizens who are fortune 500 company CEOs of Indian origin. Like you do with illegal Punjabis and Gujratis who cross the border with nuclear physicists and statisticians.”
He added, “H1B visa is the most misused visa without a doubt, but you are clearly throwing the baby out with the bath water. All immigrant talented people from all over the world (believe it or not, even white europeans) are self deporting because of this. They are actually going to Europe (for now) and China to bring their know how and understanding. Best AI scientists in the Silicon Valley are mostly people of non American origin. These are first signs of the end of an empire.”
READ: ‘American Dream stolen’: Trump administration ad singles out India over H-1B visa ‘abuse’ (
While the backlash continues to grow, the episode has exposed the deep divisions online about who gets to represent the “American dream.” For some, the student’s question was a case of misplaced outrage; for others, the reaction to her has laid bare the uneasy intersection of race, identity, and immigration in America’s tech-driven economy.
As the debate intensified, the conversation on X quickly turned from personal attacks on the student to a sweeping criticism of tech companies that hire Indian professionals on U.S. work visas. Many users used the viral clip as a springboard to vent frustrations about the H-1B visa system, accusing major Silicon Valley firms of prioritizing cheaper foreign talent over American workers.
While one of the users gave the direction to “ZERO visas to India.”
However, amid the heated commentary, a few voices attempted to bring another perspective. The tech professional acknowledged that the H-1B program has indeed been “misused” over the years. Yet, they pushed back against the blanket vilification of all immigrants, pointing out the undeniable contributions of Indian and other foreign-born talent in shaping the U.S. technology landscape.