‘Most positive national-origin group’: US economist after CEO says ‘visas for Indian people’ must stop

Indians are the “most positive national-origin group” who are hard-working, law-abiding and highly educated, said a US economist, to counter the CEO of a non-profit who called for abolishing “visas for people from India”. This comes amid a growing clamour in the US to pause, alter or completely do away with H-1B visas that benefit mostly Indians.

In defence of Indian people, PhD candidate in economics at Columbia University and fellow at the Manhattan Institute with an expertise in immigration, Daniel Di Martino said, “Indians in America are a very positively selected group that my upcoming research with @ManhattanInst finds Indians are the MOST positive national-origin group for the economy and federal budget. Indians in the US are good people, hard workers, law abiding, & highly educated.”

He was responding to Charlie Kirk, founder of non-profit Turning Point USA, who said, “America does not need more visas for people from India. Perhaps no form of legal immigration has so displaced American workers as those from India. Enough already. We’re full. Let’s finally put our own people first.”

Martino was not the only one to respond in defence of Indians, despite a barrage of responses asking for the Trump administration to do away with the H-1B visa. US political consultant Frank Luntz highlighted that despite forming only 1.5 per cent of the US population, Indian-Americans pay 5-6 per cent of the nation’s income tax revenue.

Entrepreneur, author, investor, and engineer Karl Mehta, in response to Kirk, pointed out that there is no such thing as ‘visas for people from India’. “There are categories of visa for type of visit or work and quotas for each country. India produces amazing engineers and doctors, that are very visible because they are very successful and have huge impact on the US GDP and tax receipts – largest Unicorn founders in US, most visible Fortune 500 CEOs – they have produced 10s of millions of jobs in the US for Americans,” he said.

The anti-H-1B rhetoric, especially against Indians, was fueled by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s criticism of the visa programme, which he called a “scam” that lowers American wages and reduces job opportunities. He announced plans to introduce new immigration routes favouring wealthy individuals. Lutnick also criticised the current Green Card system, and said immigration policies should prioritise rewarding the "best people" rather than the "bottom core."

Meanwhile, online, supporters of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement have increased attacks on Indian immigrants and technology workers. Hashtags such as #NoH1Bs and #AmericansFirst have resurfaced. Right-wing social media has seen a rise in accusations against Indian immigrants, including claims of "fake degrees", "job theft", and "wage suppression".