Indians face racist backlash in US amid success: Report

A wave of hostility targeting people of Indian origin in the United States is causing concern as public meetings, political campaigns and online platforms see a surge in openly racist rhetoric directed at Indians.

- HT Correspondent

The backlash was on display at a recent City Council meeting in Frisco, a fast-growing suburb north of Dallas in Texas where about one-third of residents are of Asian heritage, The New York Times reported. During nearly two hours of public comments, several speakers described what they called an “Indian takeover” of their city. Some alleged, without offering proof, that Indians working in high-skilled sectors were “fraudsters” and “low-quality scammers.” One speaker, identifying himself as a college student, declared, “We must maintain our Rhodesia,” invoking the former white-ruled colony in Africa that later became Zimbabwe.

City leaders attempted to distance themselves from the remarks. Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney said many of the most inflammatory speakers were “outside agitators” who did not represent the majority of residents. Yet the episode reflects a broader pattern across the US in which Indians — particularly professionals in technology and medicine —are being singled out in debates, NYT reported .