An unprecedented outpouring of unequivocally anti-Indian racist hatred against Indians and Indian-Americans was amplified on X during the last week of December amid a MAGA ‘civil war’ over H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers, according to a new study.
The study titled “Anti-Indian Hate on X: How the Platform Amplifies Racism and Xenophobia,” by The Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH), a nonpartisan Washington think tank, released Thursday highlighted X’s role in attracting and spreading anti-minority hate speech.
The study was authored by Deeksha Udupa, Digital Research Analyst, CSOH; Rohit Chopra, Professor, Santa Clara University; Raqib Hameed Naik, Executive Director, CSOH; and Aishik Saha, Extremism and Disinformation Analyst, CSOH.
READ: U.S. State Department plans to launch pilot program for H-1B visa renewals in 2025 (January 10, 2025)
The theme that got the most traction in the study sample, according to the report’s analysis, was that Indians posed a threat to “civilized” white America and Canada. The second-most viewed posts contained “general” hateful rhetoric, followed by posts that categorized Indians as “inferior.”
The spark for this hatred was the appointment of Indian-origin technologist Sriram Krishnan’ as an adviser to the incoming Trump administration on Artificial Intelligence, announced on Dec 22, the study noted.
The backlash was compounded by Indian American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, appointed by President-elect Donald Trump, alongside Elon Musk, to lead the proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an agency aimed at reducing government waste.
In his Dec 26 post, Ramaswamy criticized ‘normal’ American culture with that of “foreign-born” engineers, labeling the former ‘mediocre, inaugurating a firestorm of posts in response.
Krishnan’s prominence and his call for reform to ease the path of skilled immigrants on H-1B visas for green cards and citizenship further added fuel to the fire, the study noted.
Laura Loomer, a far-right influencer, conspiracy theorist, and ardent Trump supporter, became one of the most active voices targeting Indian-Americans on X. She opposed Sriram’s appointment as antithetical to the nativist principle of ‘America First,’ a MAGA talking point, on grounds that he had called for removing green card caps and that he wanted to grant science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) jobs to immigrants that ‘rightfully’ belonged to Americans.
“As an unabashed white supremacist Loomer’s stance is likely to galvanize the more extreme racist and white supremacist elements among Trump supporters, which may well lead to a rise in anti-Indian sentiment and anti-South Asian sentiment,” the study suggested.
The responses on X ran across a gamut of themes, including the inherent unfairness of the H-1B visa program system, abuses of the system by Indians and American corporations, the ‘disenfranchisement’ of American workers through offshoring and outsourcing, the strengths of the American culture that Ramaswamy had criticized, and the betrayal of what Trump had promised his MAGA base, the study noted.
However, accompanying these themes and often interwoven with these sentiments was an unequivocal and deeply troubling expression of anti-Indian racism, it said.
“With Musk and Trump both expressing support for the H-1B program, the racism and hatred showed no signs of abating, if anything only ramping up in intensity and spread,” the researchers noted.
“While it may be easy to label such viral hatred ‘spontaneous,’ the prominence of certain racist themes and tropes and their repeated affirmation present a compelling case for seeing it as a form of organized, systematic hatred, fanned by powerful actors,” the study suggested.
Several themes clearly stand out in the anti-indian narrative of hate that has manifested itself since Dec 22, when Trump announced Sriram Krishnan as the senior adviser on artificial intelligence, and Dec 26, following Vivek Ramaswamy’s post on American ‘mediocrity.’
Generic and particular stereotypes are typically combined or interwoven in numerous posts, the study noted. For example, the idea of immigrants as thieves and cheats underlies claims that Indians lie to get H-1B visas, and the racist stereotype of Indians as “smelly” or people who defecate in public draws on longstanding stereotypes of immigrants or minorities as unhygienic and uncivilized.
“Importantly, these specific themes and narratives themselves are articulated within a fundamentally racist framework that considers white Americans to be the only true, authentic, or ‘real’ Americans, with minority groups such as Indian Americans excluded hy definition,” it said.
“The speed with which the distinction between legal or ‘good’ immigrants and ‘illegal’ or ‘bad’ immigrants collapsed in the discussion about Indians and H-1B visas on X is further affirmation of the clear presence of white supremacist ideology on X,” the study suggested.
Various posts documented by the study highlighted xenophobic sentiments toward all Indians, not just Indian Hindus. For example, on Dec 29, the account @DamielBernaldo posted that “it’s kinda crazy that we even let indians in this country.” Four days prior, on Dec 25, X account @TheRoyalSerf posted,”Fuck Indians and fuck India” which reached an audience of 315,000.
READ: Legal immigrants a boon to US Economy: Trump advisor (December 31, 2024)
The researchers analyzed 128 posts on the Musk-owned X that emerged between Dec 22 and Jan 3 that used false and hateful rhetoric against people of Indian origin. Altogether they received more than 138.5 million views.
The X posts came from 85 accounts, 64 of which subscribed to the platform’s premium feature that gives users a blue verified badge, the report found. All posts were in violation of X’s policies on hateful conduct, the report said. One of the 85 accounts was suspended, and 125 of the 128 posts analyzed remained active as of Jan 3.
“X has become a free-for-all cesspit of hatred that disproportionately harms minorities,” the report said. “Though X is a global platform, its use in particular national contexts suggests that it is especially effective as a weapon for anti-minority hatred.”
The CSOH called for stricter policy enforcement, proactive monitoring, and engagement with stakeholders to address the proliferation of anti-Indian hate on the platform.