‘Deport Every Indian’: US journalist laid off for ‘concerning’ tweets after anti-India rant 

An American journalist was let go within a week after he made anti-India tweets. Although he said the publication did not specify which tweet ruffled feathers, he had courted controversy just a couple of days before that for his racist, anti-India tweet. 

So, here’s what happened:

Journalist Matt Forney, who had written for The Blaze, was let go by the publication for his “concerning” tweets. He said on X that he was not given specific examples of the tweets that concerned them but had reached out to him because of his tweeting.

Some of his followers believed it was “messed up”, while some offered him words of advice and consolation. Some even forwarded job opportunities to him. 

However, anyone following the rising anti-India rhetoric on social media, would not be so sympathetic to Forney. The Blaze might have not specified the tweets but a quick look at his profile and one would find this tweet: “Yet another unqualified Indian takes over an American company. And I guarantee her first action will be to fire every American and replace them with other Indians, either directly or via bodyshops. DEI: Deport Every Indian.”

Forney’s tweet was a jibe at Kruti Patel Goyal, Etsy’s President and Chief Growth Officer, who would be taking on the role of CEO from January 1, 2026. In fact, as the growth officer and president, there is nothing to show that Goyal is an “unqualified Indian”. 

Before her current stint she was the CEO of online apparel resale marketplace Depop, which went to be named on TIME's list of the 100 Most Influential Companies 2024. Under her leadership, Depop became the fastest-growing online apparel resale marketplace in the US. Before Depop, she served as the Chief Product Officer at Etsy, before which she had worked in Viacom and at Product (RED). She had begun her career in M&A at Morgan Stanley and at General Atlantic Partners in growth equity.

Goyal had also put up on social media that Etsy was a company she loved and believed in deeply. “I’ve experienced the magic of Etsy countless times — as a leader, a shopper, and a member of this vibrant community. The joy of Etsy is in the human connections that power creativity and make our marketplace unlike anywhere else you can buy or sell. That’s what makes me so optimistic about what’s ahead -- we have a tremendous opportunity to continue evolving how we serve our customers, deepen creativity and connection, and build on the strong foundation our team and sellers have created together,” she said.

This comes amid an increasing anti-India rhetoric furthered by MAGA people, who are also famously anti-diversity. The H-1B visa and the visa-holders, most of which are Indians, have been villainised for unemployment issues in America. Moreover, soon after US President Donald Trump came to power, Washington rolled back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes and initiatives through executive orders. 

The rhetoric Trump has propounded: H-1B visa holders have “infiltrated” the workforce and taken away jobs from equally-accomplished Americans. His administration and secretaries doubled down on the anti-H-1B visa and anti-India rhetoric. 

The same, has, however not been without its detractors. Many have pointed out that this is just a way to appease the MAGA voter base, and that Indians as a community have only contributed to the rise of the American economy. They are a law-abiding, well-educated, financially sound community and the anti-India noise was unwarranted.