President Trump’s second stint in the White House has put many Indians in a peculiar situation. The Trump administration has been coming down heavily on the immigrants living in America. The illegal immigrants are being identified and deported, while many legal migrants are also facing action from US authorities.
The Indian diaspora, too, has been a part of the ongoing immigration crackdown by the Trump administration. Indian green card holders and students from across India studying in the US are feeling the heat in the ongoing immigration storm initiated by Trump.
Indian H-1B visa holders who are employed in some of the top US companies are also caught up in this immigration crackdown.
Recently, USCIS selected 118,660 unique beneficiaries, resulting in 120,141 selected registrations in the initial selection for the FY 2026 H-1B cap. Social media reactions started pouring in by accusing Indians of having grabbed all the 1,20,000 H-1B visas for 2026.
Many Americans on social media are calling for the termination of the H-1B program. Some call it a conspiracy by big tech companies to hire only Indians. There have been cases in the past where companies have been caught abusing the H-1B selection process.
H-1B nonimmigrant visa program allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require highly specialized knowledge and a bachelor’s or higher degree in the specific specialty.
Indians are present in nearly every business sector in the US, including doctors, engineers, and CEOs of top US firms. Indian skilled workers received 72.3% of all H-1B visas issued between October 2022 to September 2023.
H-1B visa holders were always looked upon as job-seekers who were taking away American jobs. Many top voices in America have called them “low-wage indentured servants.”
Sriram Krishnan’s appointment as an AI advisor to the Trump administration led to a surge in anti-India sentiment on American social media, with a viral video showcasing an American man obtaining Indian signatures to curb H1B virus spread.
Even Indian students in the US are facing concerns about their future due to the H-1B backlash, including campus racism and social media attacks. India sent 331,602 international students to study in the US in 2023–2024, a 23% increase over the previous year.
The current crackdown on overseas students by the Department of State (DOS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has had a disproportionate impact on Indian students. In March, Secretary Rubio said that DOS had canceled over 300 student visas. According to a recent release by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Indian students accounted for 50 percent of reported cases from a sample of 327.
Also, there were reports about Indians being forced to surrender their green card by the US authorities. A Green Card, officially known as a Permanent Resident Card, allows an individual to live and work permanently in the United States. There were reports that Indian Green Card holders, particularly elderly individuals who spend winters in India, faced intense scrutiny at US airports in March. Overall, the negative sentiments towards Indians seem to have emerged in recent times.