Asian Wisconzine Section/Heidi M. Pascual
APIAVote News: Anti Indian Racism is Exploding Online. Why?
Anti-Indian racism is rising across every front — online, in politics, and in everyday life — and the data shows things are getting worse. It’s no coincidence. White supremacists have been increasingly emboldened over the past couple of years, and Indian Americans are now the latest group to be put in their crosshairs as a means of driving their anti-immigrant, anti-democratic vision for the US.
There have been a number of inflection points that have helped snowball this phenomenon. Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ run for president, Vivek Ramaswamy criticizing what he called “American mediocrity,” political tensions between India and Pakistan, national discourse on the H-1B visa program, a fatal accident in Florida involving a Sikh truck driver, and now Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s successful campaign to become New York City’s next mayor.
Additionally, the financial and political success of Indian Americans has driven the dangerous narrative that Indians “are in control.” Concurrently, much of the dialogue directed against Indians also attempts to paint them as uncivilized. These two narratives being pushed about Indians are conflicting, but share the same goal: to turn public opinion against a group of people from all corners to advance an anti-immigrant and anti-democratic agenda.
It’s not just fringe online chatter. The anti-Indian rhetoric has translated into real-world harms, ranging from an elected official calling for the execution of Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, Andrew Cuomo publishing an AI-generated ad of Mamdani “eating rice with his hands,” and white supremacist groups harassing Hindu temples. In Irving, Texas, a city councilmember in Palm Bay, Florida, is calling for the mass deportations of Indians, and three masked men staged a protest carrying signs that read “Don’t India My Texas,” “Deport H-1B Visa Scammers,” and “Reject Foreign Demons.”
To be clear, despite the hyperfocus on the Indian community, what’s happening isn’t just about attacking Indians. It is part of a broader effort by white supremacists to decide who “belongs” in America, reviving old narratives about invasions, job theft, and foreignness. These trends are dangerous. They endanger not only immigrant communities but the fabric of our multi-racial democracy.
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South Korean Workers Sue ICE After Georgia Factory Raid
On September 4, 2025, U.S. immigration authorities conducted a major raid at a battery construction site linked to Hyundai in Ellabell, Georgia. According to the Chosun Ilbo, approximately 475 workers were detained, many of whom were South Korean nationals. Now, nearly 200 of the detainees are also planning to sue Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), “alleging unlawful policing, racial profiling, human rights violations, excessive force and unlawful arrest."
The site under construction is part of a joint project between Hyundai and LG Energy Solution. While the companies are building a large-scale battery plant in Georgia, federal officials say the immigration sweep was based on allegations of “illegal employment practices,” including visa violations.
Homeland Security representatives described the raid as the largest single-site enforcement operation in their history, resulting from “a months-long criminal investigation.” ICE said many of the detained workers had either overstayed visas, used visa waivers that did not permit work, or otherwise worked in violation of their legal status.
The South Korean Foreign Ministry expressed “serious concern” over the detentions, calling for the protection of its citizens. Labor advocates and legal observers have raised alarms about how the raid was carried out. Some detained workers claim they were there legally under B-1 business visas, hired specifically for technical installation, not for regular factory work. Other reports cite a leaked internal ICE document showing that at least one worker had a valid visa and was nevertheless forced into voluntary departure. Conditions during detention have also come under scrutiny. Former detainees describe being shackled, having their phones confiscated, and being held in crowded facilities.
As legal, diplomatic, and advocacy efforts unfold, the incident will likely have lasting implications for how the U.S. enforces visa compliance in high-tech manufacturing and how immigrant and AAPI communities engage with policy debates around labor mobility and enforcement.
