Texas cities may be named Delhi, Kolkata: Republican targets Indians in US
A Republican candidate in Texas has drawn criticism after using anti-Indian language and attacking the H-1B visa programme while outlining his immigration agenda
 "Texas cities may be named Delhi, Kolkata: Republican targets Indians in US")
A Republican seeking the post of Attorney General in Texas has drawn sharp criticism after using anti-Indian language while laying out his immigration and labour agenda on social media.
Aaron Reitz said he would ensure Texas does not “turn into either India or Pakistan” if elected, adding that he would dismantle what he called the “cheap labour H-1B scam” and pursue companies that hire foreign workers.
Texas is home to a large Indian-origin population, particularly in cities such as Dallas and Frisco. While some Republican leaders have previously complained about what they describe as an “Indian takeover” of parts of the state, Reitz is among the first to make such rhetoric a central campaign pitch.
He said he would not allow Collin, Dallas and Harris counties to resemble Indian cities.
“Collin, Dallas, & Harris Counties may soon be renamed Calcutta, Delhi, & Hyderabad Counties, given how bad the invasion of unassimilated & unassimilable Indians has become. Globalist corporations move to Texas to exploit our favourable economic climate,” Reitz wrote.
The comments were posted on X in response to a user who asked: “What will you do about the Indian invasion of Texas? That’s the million-dollar question that will determine who people support.”
H-1B visas and corporate hiring in focus
Reitz tied his remarks to the US H-1B visa programme, which allows companies to hire skilled foreign workers.
“Having contempt for native-born American workers, they then facilitate the H-1B scam for cheap labor. All of it must be rolled back,” Reitz wrote.
He added: “As AG, I’ll partner with the Trump admin to re-open the books on all their ‘legal’ paperwork. Deport most. Assimilate the rest.”
Reitz also directed his criticism at employers, writing: “At the same time, I’ll go after the gutless, treasonous corporations who have no loyalty to our state and who treat our country like a mere economic zone. This is Texas, USA—not India or Pakistan.”
Backlash from advocacy groups and lawyers
The comments triggered a backlash from Indian-American groups and immigration experts.
Indian-American Advocacy Council founder Sidharth questioned the funding behind Reitz’s campaign.
“If Dallas, Collin, and Harris counties are booming, it’s because talent and capital came legally, not because of some racial conspiracy,” Sidharth wrote.
‘Less than 2% of Texas population’
Immigration attorney Steven Brown said the rhetoric did not match demographic reality.
“Indians are less than 2% of the Texas population,” Brown wrote. “Yet here you have an AG candidate with dog whistle rhetoric about an ‘invasion of un-assimilated & un-assimiliable Indians.’”
The remarks come as immigration, work visas and labour shortages continue to feature prominently in Republican primary debates in Texas and nationally.