Far-right activist Laura Loomer has ignited a heated debate over the H-1B visa program, targeting Indian-origin tech professionals and escalating tensions with provocative remarks on immigration. The controversy comes days after Loomer criticized Donald Trump’s appointment of Indian-American Sriram Krishnan as an AI advisor, calling it “anti-MAGA.”
The feud erupted when an Indian tech entrepreneur, Sidharth, defended high-skilled immigration on Elon Musk’s X platform (formerly Twitter). “Anyone opposing high-skilled immigration is fundamentally anti-American,” he tweeted, citing iconic immigrant innovators like Albert Einstein and Sergey Brin. He argued that skilled immigrants drive innovation and strengthen America’s global leadership.
Loomer, a vocal critic of immigration, fired back: “Our country was built by white Europeans, actually. Not third-world invaders from India.” Her tweet sparked outrage, with many accusing her of racism.
Sidharth didn’t hold back, calling out Loomer’s inflammatory rhetoric. “Sorry, your racist a** got kicked out by Trump. Say this to @VivekGRamaswamy or @JDVance and his wife,” he tweeted, referencing prominent Indian-American political figures. He accused Loomer of undermining legitimate concerns with her “stupid racist comments,” reminding her of past controversies like her complaint about the White House “smelling like Indian food.”
In a series of tweets, Laura Loomer doubled down on her stance, dismissing accusations of racism. “I voted for a reduction in H1B visas, not an extension. If India is such a high-skilled society, why does it look like this?” she wrote, sharing a photo, purportedly from an Indian riverside, showing people bathing amid cluttered surroundings.
Loomer further accused tech billionaires of exploiting the H1B visa program for their benefit. “The tech billionaires don’t get to just walk inside Mar-a-Lago and stroke their massive checkbooks to rewrite our immigration policy for unlimited slave laborers from India and China who never assimilated,” she tweeted. “I don’t care about being called ‘racist’ by people who don’t have the best interest of the American worker in mind.”
Her remarks sparked backlash in the comment section, with many criticizing her for perpetuating stereotypes and using the term “cheap labor” to describe immigrants. Social media users called out her rhetoric as xenophobic, urging her to adopt a more nuanced approach.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk weighed in, defending Krishnan’s pro-immigration stance. “The ‘fixed pie’ fallacy is at the heart of much wrong-headed economic thinking,” Musk wrote. “There is essentially infinite potential for job and company creation.”
The backlash against Loomer continued to grow as social media users called her out for generalizations and xenophobic rhetoric. The incident has further polarized opinions on the H1B program, with some supporting Loomer’s “America First” position and others championing skilled immigration as vital for innovation.
