The GOP’s Battle with Xenophobia

The Republican Party is wrestling with a dangerous divide between its mainstream leadership and a far-right faction steeped in xenophobia, a rift that has hit Indian immigrants hard. In February 2025, Leelamma Lal, a 67-year-old Indian-origin nurse in Florida, was brutally attacked by a patient, Stephan Scantlebury, who hurled racist insults before beating her, leaving her blind and severely injured. This shocking act of violence followed a surge in online hate targeting Indian-Americans, particularly over the H1B visa debate. The GOP’s failure to rein in its extremist wing not only fuels real-world harm but also threatens to fracture its coalition and alienate Indian immigrants, whose contributions to America’s economy and innovation are undeniable.

The H1B visa controversy erupted in late 2024 when Sriram Krishnan, an Indian-American, was appointed to a Trump administration role overseeing artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency policy. The debate, sparked by right-wing influencer Laura Loomer, split into two camps. Some Republicans have raised legitimate concerns about the impact of tech industry layoffs, with over 200,000 American workers losing jobs in 2023 and 2024, meanwhile, companies continue to hire H1B visa holders, predominantly from India, often at lower wages. H1B visa restrictions tie these workers to their employers, limiting their ability to switch jobs without risking deportation or navigating a complex process. This economic critique highlights a tension: how to protect American jobs while addressing the global demand for specialized skills in fields like software engineering and artificial intelligence, where Indian professionals have filled critical gaps, contributing significantly to U.S. innovation and economic growth.

However, the conversation quickly spiralled into nakedly racist attacks from far-right groups, including white nationalists and self-proclaimed Nazis, who mocked Indian culture, food, and appearance, branding them as subhuman. A report by the Centre for the Study of Organized Hate documented 128 anti-Indian posts on X between December 22, 2024, and January 3, 2025, which collectively garnered 138.4 million views. These posts, often laced with slurs and calls for mass deportations, violated X’s hateful conduct policies but remained online, some even monetized, amplifying fear among Indian-American communities.

This online vitriol has spilled into real-world violence, as seen in Lal’s assault and other incidents, like the racial harassment of Indians in public spaces. The GOP’s far-right, often called the ‘woke right’ for their obsession with race over merit, opposes all non-white immigration, favouring policies that prioritize white Europeans. This stance clashes with the party’s broader coalition, which includes diverse figures like Kash Patel, appointed FBI director, and Jay Bhattacharya, named director of the National Institutes of Health. The tension is tearing at the MAGA movement’s seams, threatening its unity and electoral prospects.

Vivek Ramaswamy, a rising Republican star, embodies this conflict. An Indian-American who embraced MAGA ideals, Ramaswamy sparked outrage when he tweeted that Americans must shift their cultural focus from superficial popularity to compete with driven immigrants in science, technology, engineering, and medicine. The backlash was fierce: far-right voices told him to “go back to India,” ignoring his Ohio roots and conservative credentials. Ann Coulter, on a podcast, bluntly told Ramaswamy she could never support an Indian president, even if she agreed with his policies, exposing a raw prejudice. This rejection mirrors the ‘Gunga Din’ dynamic, a historical trope that captures the futility of seeking acceptance from a dominant group that never fully embraces you. ‘Gunga Din,’ from Rudyard Kipling’s poem, portrays an Indian water-carrier serving British colonialists, valued for his loyalty but never equal. Similarly, the “house Negro” refers to enslaved African Americans who worked closely with white masters, adopting their values yet remaining subordinate. For Ramaswamy, his efforts to align with MAGA’s core – courting even white nationalists like Coulter – crashed against a racial barrier. The far-right’s insistence on whiteness over merit left him, and others like him, in a no-man’s-land: neither fully accepted nor able to escape their heritage.

Tunku Varadarajan, a first-generation immigrant, falls into the same trap. A journalist who champions colonialism while railing against Indian nationalism and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Varadarajan seems to seek approval from Western elites. His X posts glorify U.S. hegemony but dismiss Hindu pride, revealing a complex dance of assimilation. On December 20, 2024, he tweeted, “Weighing in on the immigration debate: this country needs more of the Indian immigrants who came here in the 1960s & 70s. Educated people, mostly South Indian, not the largely North Indian (and less easily assimilable) proletarian type of influx.” Varadarajan was pilloried for days, his bigotry and total lack of self-awareness mocked and dissected. Like Ramaswamy, he navigates the Gunga Din complex, striving to be the model minority who proves his loyalty to America’s power structure by remaining silent or even glorifying it’s depredations. Yet, the far-right’s race obsession ensures that no amount of ideological alignment will erase his Indian identity.

 

The MAGA movement’s rift is widening, and Indian immigrants are caught in the middle. Trump’s appointments of Patel, Bhattacharya, Sriram Krishnan, and his endorsement of Ramaswamy for Ohio governor show an affinity with Indians, as does his warm rapport with Modi. But the far-right isn’t buying it. They’ve even targeted J.D. Vance’s Indian wife, Usha, questioning her Hindu faith and their mixed-race children’s loyalty. This internal war has fractured Trump’s alliance with Elon Musk, a vocal H1B supporter who relies on Indian talent at his companies. Once close, Musk and Trump now trade barbs on X, with Musk accusing Trump of Epstein ties. This feud, rooted in immigration policy, has turned personal, threatening MAGA’s cohesion.

The GOP’s dilemma is stark: embrace the Indian-American voters and talent who swung 49 points toward the party in 2024, per exit polls, or let the far-right’s hate drag it into irrelevance. Indian immigrants, who launch start-ups at twice the rate of native-born Americans (per the National Foundation for American Policy), aren’t the problem – they’re the solution. But the party’s inaction on its extremist wing risks alienating them. If the GOP doesn’t curb the racism, it could lose both the moral high ground and the votes needed for 2028. Democrats, watching the chaos, are ready to pounce.

The pushback against H1B visas isn’t baseless. American tech workers deserve fair consideration amid layoffs. But when economic concerns morph into racial hate, the line is crossed. The GOP must decide: will it champion merit and innovation, or let its far-right fringe define it? Indian immigrants, from nurses like Lal to tech pioneers, aren’t just part of America’s future – they’re building it. The party’s choice will shape whether that future is one of unity or division.

GOPH1B VisaIdian ImmigrantsIndian DiasporaLeelamma LalSriram Krishnanxenophobia