Trump's win and a new chapter of racism against Indians

The last week of 2024 inaugurated a new phase of racism against Indians in America – one that won’t end well.

- Prashant Jha

WASHINGTON:

The beginning of this new chapter was marked by the most intense bout of racism that Indians faced since the 9/11 terror attacks led to suspicion, prejudice and attacks against Brown people. And it runs the risk of arguably having even longer-term implications for not just the safety and security but the opportunities for those who trace their heritage to the Indian subcontinent more generally and India specifically.

The broad contours of what happened are now fairly well-known. But here is a quick recap.

The battle

Donald Trump appointed a Chennai-born, Silicon Valley technologist, Sriram Krishnan, as an artificial intelligence policy advisor. Krishnan has backed easier immigration pathways for high skilled professionals through the H-1B route.

Enter Laura Loomer, a Trump supporter who would otherwise have been one more fringe voice in the Make America Great Again (MAGA) universe but for the fact that she accompanied Trump on his plane to the presidential debate and even to the 9/11 memorial just four months ago, despite having termed the 9/11 attack itself as an inside job.

Loomer used Krishnan’s appointment and backing for H-1B visas to trigger outrage on three fronts. First, she framed Indians who immigrated through this route and became critical to America’s tech world as invaders taking American jobs. Second, she attacked Elon Musk, David Sacks, and other tech titans who supported Trump and H-1Bs, portraying them as imposters seeking to influence Trump for personal gain. Third, she condemned the entire framework of legal immigration as weakening America.

This was followed by a range of racist attacks against Indians.