H-1B visa row: Vivek Ramaswamy pens note for wife, gets slammed by anti-immigrant Americans

Republican leader Vivek Ramaswamy with his wife Apoorva after a hike at the highest summit of the Flat Tops in the Rocky Mountains of North America. (Image credit: Vivek Ramaswamy/X)

Entrepreneur and Republican leader Vivek Ramaswamy recently marked his 10th wedding anniversary with a heartfelt note dedicated to his "brilliant wife" and photos shared on X, but the celebratory post was met with a barrage of racist and anti-immigrant comments from social media users following the H-1B visa row.

"In the fall of 2011, I met a brilliant medical student named Apoorva and asked her out on a first date - to head west for a weekend and hike Flattop Mountain in the Rockies. She accepted," he wrote. "We got within striking distance of the summit when a blizzard hit. I was foolishly stubborn about still making it, when she grabbed my hand, looked me in the eye, and said we had a lifetime ahead to come back and finish it. Fourteen years and two kids later, we finally made it back to celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary this weekend. Grateful for the love of my life and every day of our journey together." He also shared two photos, one appeared to have been taken during the couple's first date, and the other during their recent outing.

In the fall of 2011, I met a brilliant medical student named Apoorva & asked her out on a first date - to head west for a weekend & hike Flattop Mountain in the Rockies. She accepted. We got within striking distance of the summit when a blizzard hit. I was foolishly stubborn pic.twitter.com/pdV1joMUeg
Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) May 26, 2025

Despite the personal nature of the post, comments quickly turned hostile and discriminatory. Users like Irishrygirl (@irishrygirl) questioned, "When is your dad getting deported?" Dacian Romulus (@dacianromulus) wrote, "The beauty of the whiteness destroyed by brown." Other comments included, "You should be deported" from Blex.S4L (@BarterBlex), and ShaunsEyeView (@ShaunsEyeView) asked, "Why do you both look 3-4 shades lighter? You didn't bleach your skin, did you?"

This backlash highlights Ramaswamy's ongoing entanglement in the H-1B visa row. He is also the second personality of Indian-origin, after Walmart CTO Suresh Kumar, to have been targetted by Americans who do not support the current immigration policies in the country.

Social media users have previously accused Ramaswamy of favoring H-1B hiring if he were to become Ohio governor, based on the perception that 'Indians hire Indians.'

Ohio is cooked if Vivek is elected on the Republican ticket.Prepare for hordes of imported H1b Indians displacing American workers in a race to the bottom. He doesn't deny this exploitative strategy at all. Whats the point of electing a 'republican' if they're an indian Imperium Occidentis (@IOccidentis) May 26, 2025

But, Ramaswamy has publicly stated his opposition to the H-1B programme, and has advocating for major reforms, as he believes foreign workers are treated like slaves. He has also proposed replacing the current lottery system with a meritocratic one.

Ramaswamy is currently running for governor in Ohio after exiting the DOGE, a move also linked to his controversial statements regarding American culture and the H-1B visa programme row.