A Dallas resident has triggered a wave of online backlash after posting a video calling for the cancellation of the H-1B visa programme, citing the growing Indian population in his neighbourhood. Daniel Keene, who shared the video on social media, wrote: “Typical view in my neighborhood outside Dallas. We have to cancel the H1-Bs. I want my kids to grow up in America. Not India.”
The video, filmed from inside a car, shows people celebrating on the streets with drums and music. In the comments, when an X user pointed out that the Indians might have been celebrating Onam, Keene complained about frequent cultural events, saying, “There seems to be a celebration every month. Even then, the neighborhood is easily 70 percent Indian now and it was not this way until recently. All of the Dallas suburbs are overrun by Indians.” He added, “Just walking down the street around 7 is like walking the streets of Mumbai.”
The now-viral video has more than five million views.
The comments section was divided between support for the hard-working and tax-paying immigrants and those with anti-immigrant sentiments.
"Jesus! Did you literally drive around Frisco or prosper to capture this and post this garbage on X. Those folks are homeowners, taxpayers, and add income to your community. You are after the wrong folks," wrote Imran (@ImmieV). "Literally trying to pick up dinner and had to turn around because the road was blocked," replied Keene.
Another X user, Nicole (@AXIS307_42), said the situation was the same in Houston, Redmond, Seattle, and Washington. "Foreigners are taking high-paying tech jobs in most areas. Imported on H1B, where employers can pay them less and have a compliant employee who can't leave. They bring their whole families. Their spouses take jobs alongside them. They plan then for Americans to be the gardeners and housekeepers and nannies to foreigners. Americans will work lower-paying jobs and serve them. We are being replaced by student visas and H1Bs."
To this, a third X user Alexander Katz (@Alexkatz96) replied: "White folks whining about immigrants in tech forget: those H1B engineers got hired for skills, not skin. If the jobs demand high IQ and training, maybe look at your education system instead of blaming brown brains."
H-1B visa under scrutiny
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant programme that allows US employers to hire foreign workers in specialised fields such as IT, engineering, and medicine. A large number of Indian professionals work in the US under this visa, often employed by multinational companies. While the programme helps fill labour gaps, critics argue it disadvantages American workers and fuels demographic shifts.
Echoes of earlier controversy
Keene’s remarks follow a similar incident in May when a US musician, Sean Carpenter (@TheUltimateSean), posted on X questioning why Indian gate agents were employed at Washington DC airport. “Tell me why we need Indians to work the gates at airports again? H1-B is a complete fraud,” he wrote. Carpenter later called Indian critics “parasites” and dismissed accusations of racism, saying, “It’s not racist to expect an airport gate agent to speak English clearly.”
The post drew sharp condemnation from Indian users and support from far-right groups. Critics labelled the comments xenophobic and racist, while supporters praised them as “patriotic” and “truthful.” The incidents have reignited debate over immigration, cultural integration, and the future of the H-1B programme.
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