Vacationing in India, engineer Amrutha Tamanam rushed to return to the United States after Donald Trump abruptly announced a $100,000 fee for the visa she holds.

As she scrambled to get back to the country she’s called home for a decade, racially motivated far-right trolls launched coordinated efforts to disrupt flight bookings from India, calling their campaign “clog the toilet.”

The White House would later clarify that the new H-1B fee was a one-time payment not applicable to current holders. But leading U.S. companies had already advised their employees abroad to swiftly return to avoid the fee or risk being stranded overseas.

Ms. Tamanam, an Austin-based software engineer, began searching for a flight from Vijayawada, as users on the far-right message board 4chan moved to overwhelm reservation systems, in a bid to block Indian visa holders from booking tickets.

Clogging flight booking systems

One 4chan thread encouraged users to find India-U.S. flights, “initiate the checkout process” but “don’t checkout,” thereby clogging the system and preventing the visa holders from reaching the United States before the announcement took effect.

The campaign may have had a direct impact on Ms. Tamanam, who encountered repeated crashes on airline websites. The checkout page, which typically allows users a window of a few minutes, timed out much faster.

After multiple attempts, she eventually managed to rebook a one-way ticket to Dallas on Qatar Airways, spending around $2,000 — more than double the cost of her original round-trip fare.

“It was hard for me to book a ticket and I paid a huge fare for the panic travel,” Ms. Tamanam told AFP.

‘Keep them in India’

The 4chan thread — which also circulated among far-right Trump supporters on Telegram and other fringe forums — read: “Indians are just waking up after the H1B news. Want to keep them in India? Clog the flight reservation system!”

Responding posts, many riddled with racist slurs, advised users to hold seats for popular India-U.S. routes on airline websites and booking platforms — without completing the purchase.

The stated goal was to block availability on high-demand flights, making it harder to find available seats and inflating prices.

Illustrating the scale of the operation, one 4chan user posted a screenshot of their browser and claimed: “I got 100 seats locked.”

“Currently clogging the last available seat on this Delhi to Newark flight,” another wrote.

Several 4chan users also posted about holding up seats on Air India and slowing the airline’s website. However, an Air India spokesperson told AFP the site experienced no disruptions, with systems operating normally.

‘Shared antipathy’

Though difficult to measure the campaign’s overall effectiveness, the trolling was an attempt to “cause panic among H-1B visa holders,” Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, told AFP.

“The real scary thing about 4chan is its ability to radicalise people into extremist beliefs,” Beirich said, adding that several U.S. mass shooters had published manifestos to the site.

H-1B visas allow companies to sponsor foreign workers with specialised skills — such as scientists and computer programmers — to work in the United States, initially for three years but extendable to six.

The United States awards 85,000 H-1B visas per year on a lottery system, with India accounting for around three-quarters of the recipients.

In an age of information warfare, the troll operation illustrates how bad actors can launch disruptive attacks “with the stroke of a keyboard,” said Brian Levin, founder of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.

“As nationalistic politics takes hold across the world, an informal international association of opponents will use an array of aggressive tools, including the internet,” Mr. Levin told AFP.

“What I think is so relevant is how rapidly it spread, how diverse the nations represented were, and how shared antipathy across international borders can be mobilised online.”

Published – September 29, 2025 08:18 am IST

New Delhi:

US President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to ban birthright citizenship for children of temporary visa holders was a bolt from the blue for immigrants, especially Indians, in America. Although on hold for now after a legal challenge, the policy has left thousands of Indians, expecting to be parents shortly, in limbo.

For Indian professionals on H-1B visas, the impact is huge. Many assumed their US-born children would automatically get citizenship, but the order now threatens to upend those expectations.

“This impacts us directly,” said Akshay Pise, an Indian engineer in San Jose, California, whose wife, Neha Satpute, is due this month. “If the order takes effect, we don’t know what comes next – it’s uncharted territory,” he told BBC.

With their due date approaching, the couple briefly considered inducing labour early but decided against it. “I want the natural process to take its course,” said Ms Satpute. Mr Pise added, “My priority is safe delivery and my wife’s health. Citizenship comes second.”

The panic has led to reports of parents going for early C-sections to secure their child’s US citizenship. But Satheesh Kathula, president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), advised against it. “In a country with strict medical laws, I strongly advise against preterm C-sections just for citizenship,” he said.

San Jose resident Priyanshi Jajoo, expecting in April, told BBC, “Do we need to contact the Indian consulate for a passport? What visa applies? There’s no clear information.”

New York-based immigration attorney Cyrus Mehta said, “US law has no provision for granting non-immigrant status to a person born here.” Without birthright citizenship, children of H-1B holders could face legal uncertainty.

Ms Satpute said the uncertainty is stressful. “Pregnancy is stressful enough, but we thought after a decade here it would get easier – then this happens on top of everything.” Her husband said they were legal, tax-paying immigrants, and the baby deserved US citizenship. 

“It’s been the law, right?” he said.

Indians, the second-largest immigrant group in the US, would be among the most affected by the order. Over five million hold non-immigrant visas, and under the new rule, their US-born children would no longer receive citizenship.

“Indians face the longest green card backlog of any nationality,” said immigration policy analyst Sneha Puri. Current laws limit green cards to 7 per cent per country, and with Indians receiving 72 per cent of H-1B visas each year, the backlog has grown to 1.1 million.

Cato Institute’s immigration director, David Bier, warned, “New Indian applicants face a lifetime wait, with 4 lakh likely to die before getting a green card.”

The order also affects undocumented immigrants, ending birthright citizenship for their US-born children, who could previously sponsor their parents for a green card at 21.

Estimates on undocumented Indians vary – Pew Research says 7.25 lakh, while the Migration Policy Institute estimates 3.75 lakh.

For Indians on H-1B or O visas, the biggest concern is their children’s future. Visa holders must leave the US for visa stamping, often facing delays. Many worry their kids will face the same struggles.

Washington:

Over three dozen Indian Americans are running for local bodies and state legislation elections across the country reflecting the growing interest among this small ethnic community to be part of political mainstream.

“If you are not at the table, you are on the menu,” Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi comments at various Indian American gatherings motivating and encouraging community members to run for elections at all levels.

Probably the largest number of Indian Americans running for local offices are in the state of California, which sends two members to the House of Representatives – Ro Khanna and Dr Ami Bera – in addition to Vice President Kamala Harris whose mother was from India.

Those include Adlah Chisti who is running for County Supervisor for District 11, Aliya Chisti for City College Board San Francisco, Darshana Patel for State Assembly, Nicole Fernandez for San Mateo City Council, Nithya Raman for Los Angeles City Council, Richa Awasthi for Foster City Council and Sukhdeep Kaur for Emeryville City Council.

Tara Sreekrishnan is seeking to enter California’s State Assembly from District 26 in Silicon Valley.

With close to 900,000 Indian Americans residents, California boasts the largest Indian American population in the entire country. Michigan is a presidential battleground, with elections decided by merely 10,000 votes.

Dr Ajay Raman, is running for Oakland County Commissioner for District 14; while Anil Kumar and Ranjeev Puri are running for the Michigan State House.

Indian Americans are a crucial part of Arizona’s growth and diversity. Priya Sundareshan is running for the State Senate in Arizona and Ravi Shah is running for School Board. In Pennsylvania, Anand Patek, Anna Thomas, and Arvind Venkat are running for State House, while Nikil Saval is seeking to enter the State Senate.

In Illinois, Anusha Thotakura is running for school board and Nabeel Syed for State House.

If elected Ashwin Ramaswamy would be the youngest ever elected to the Georgia State Senate. Of late he has been subject to racial and hate attacks by his opponents.

In Ohio, Chantel Raghu is running for County Commissioner and Pavan Parikh for County Clerk of Courts, while in Virginia Danny Avula is running for Mayor of Richmond.

In New York, Jeremy Cooney and Manita Sanghvi are running for State Senate while Zohran Mamdani is seeking to enter the State Assembly.

Indian Americans running for local offices in Texas are Ashika Ganguly for City Council, Karthik Soora (State Senate), Nabil Shike (County Constable), Ramesh Premkumar (City Council), Ravi Sandill (Judge), Salman Bhojani (State House), Shekhar Sinha (State House), Sherine Thomas (Judge), Suleman Lalani (State House) and Sumbel Zeb as County Appraisals Court.

Manka Dhingra is running for Attorney General of Washington State while Mona Das is running for Commissioner of Public Lands. PTI LKJ GSP GSP

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi speaks at an event in Uniondale, N.Y. on September 22, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (September 22, 2024) said that he has set very ambitious goals in his third term to make the country a developed nation and asserted that India today is a land of opportunities.

“After going through this tough election process, this long election system, something unprecedented happened in India (this year). What happened… “Abkibaar Modi Sarkaar,” Mr. Modi said in his address to thousands of Indian Americans in New York.

Also Read: PM Modi in U.S. LIVE updates

“For the first time in 60 years, the people of India have given a mandate which has great significance. During my third term, I have very ambitious goals to achieve. We have to move forward with three times the strength,” he said.

Mr. Modi said he has dedicated his life for good governance and for a prosperous India. Observing that destiny brought him to politics, he said he had never thought of becoming a chief minister or prime minister. Over the last 10 years, people have seen this model of governance and thus have voted him to power for a third term, he added.

The Prime Minister was addressing a packed Nassau Veterans Coliseum with more than 13,000 Indian Americans. While the majority of them were from the New York and New Jersey area, Indian Americans came in from 40 States, organisers said. 60 charter buses were used for transportation purposes.

Applauding the role of Indian Americans in strengthening the relationship between India and the U.S., he called them as India’s brand ambassadors. Referring to a Sanskrit shloka that “it is those who make sacrifices reap benefits”, the Prime Minister said wherever the Indian diaspora lives, they contribute to the societal and national development in every field.

In his remarks, the Prime Minister touched upon the celebration of democracy across the world, in particular in India and the U.S.

“While the elections in India are over, it’s under process in the United States. The elections that were just held in India were the biggest elections so far in human history. When we see the scale of India’s democracy, we are even more proud,” he said.

Mr. Modi applauded the role of Indian Americans in making the country and community proud.

“Just yesterday, President Biden took me to his home in Delaware. His affection, his warmth, it was a moment that touched my heart. This respect is for the 140 billion Indians. This respect is for you, for your achievements, for the hundreds and thousands of Indians living here,” he said and called Indian Americans as India’s brand ambassador.

He also referred to the recently concluded T-20 World Cup in the United States.

India, he said, is now aspiring to be the third largest economy of the world from the fifth position. “Today, people of India, he said, are full of self-confidence, they have resolve and determination to achieve their goal,” he said, adding development in India has now become a people’s movement.

“Every Indian has confidence in India, its achievements. India today is a land of opportunities. It’s no longer waiting for opportunities. It is now creating opportunities,” he said, adding that in just a decade 250 million people have been lifted out of poverty.

“This was possible because we changed our old way of thinking. We changed our approach. We empowered the poor,” he told the Indian Americans. It is this new middle class, which is accelerating the development of India, he said.

An entertaining cultural performance was the main highlight of the event before the prime minister arrived. The Echoes of India – A Journey Through Art and Tradition, showcased 382 nationally and internationally known artists. Prominent among them including Grammy award nominee Chandrika Tandon, STAR Voice of India winner and superstar Aishwarya Majumdar, Instagram’s Dancing Dad Ricky Pond, and singing sensation Rex DSouuza, in a seamless experience of India’s cultural diversity.

There were unique performances by 117 artists, impressing and entertaining attendees as they enter the coliseum. Organisers said more than 30 classical, folk, modern and fusion performances will pay homage to the rich and diverse cultures of India.

New York:

More than 24,000 members of the Indian diaspora have signed up to attend a mega community event that will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here next month.

The ‘Modi & US’ Progress Together’ event will be held on September 22 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which has a capacity of 15,000.

The Indo-American Community of USA (IACU) said Tuesday that over 24,000 Indian-Americans have signed up to attend the mega event, a community gathering that will be addressed by Modi.

Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to address the high-level UN General Assembly session here on September 26, according to a provisional list of speakers issued by the UN.

The IACU said in a statement that registrations for the event in Uniondale, Long Island have come through 590 community organisations, all of whom have signed up as ‘Welcome Partners’, from across the United States.

While Indian Americans from at least 42 states are expected to attend, the response has been particularly strong from the tri-state area, it said.

“We’re committed to ensuring as many people as possible can participate in this historic event,” said a key organiser of the event.

“We’re going to do our best to expand seating arrangements and coordinate with our Welcome Partners to prioritise final seat allocations to those who will confirm they expect to attend.” The IACU said the ‘Modi & US’ event “promises to be a significant gathering celebrating the interconnected diversity of the Indian-American community.” Attendees and participating organisations will include a wide range of religious communities, including members of the Jewish, Zoroastrian, Jain, Christian, Sikh, Muslim, and Hindu communities. They also represent a significant cross-section of India’s diverse languages, including Hindi, Telugu, Punjabi, Tamil, Bengali, Malayalam, Gujarati, and others, IACU said.

In addition to an address by Prime Minister Modi, the event will showcase cultural performances and appearances by prominent Indian-Americans in business, science, entertainment, and the arts.

A not-for-profit organisation, the Indo-American Community of USA (IACU) fosters understanding of and unity within the Indo-American community through cultural events and public programmes.

Earlier this month, sources told PTI that preparations are in full swing for the community event in Long Island, coming 10 years after Modi addressed a massive community gathering at the famed Madison Square Garden in New York in September 2014 just months after he had first taken charge as Prime Minister and visited the city to attend the high-level annual General Assembly session.

In 2019, Modi addressed the mega community event ‘Howdy Modi’ at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, where he was joined by former President Donald Trump. This year’s visit to the US comes just weeks before the country goes to the presidential polls in November with a race to the top office between Trump and Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris, the first woman of Black and Indian heritage.

This year, the high-level General Debate of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly will take place from September 24-30. As per the provisional list of speakers for the General Debate issued by the UN on Monday, India’s “Head of Government” is scheduled to address the high-level session in the afternoon of September 26.

The list is not final and the UN releases updated provisional lists of speakers in the weeks leading up to the high-level session to reflect any modifications in attendance, schedules and speaking slots of leaders, ministers and ambassadors.

Modi took oath in June as India’s Prime Minister for a historic third term and last addressed the annual high-level UNGA session in September 2021.

Prime Minister Modi also visited the UN headquarters on June 21 last year, leading the historic Yoga Day commemoration at the North Lawn of the world body’s headquarters before heading to Washington DC for a State Visit hosted by former President Joe Biden.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will present his report before the start of the General Debate, followed by an address by the President of the 79th session of the General Assembly.

Guterres is also convening the ambitious Summit of the Future at UN Headquarters during the high-level week, with the action days slated for September 20-21 and the Summit scheduled on September 22-23.

World leaders will convene at the United Nations to adopt the Pact for the Future, which will include a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations as annexes.

“The Summit is a high-level event, bringing world leaders together to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future,” the UN has said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The number of Indian Americans in elected offices is not reflective of their growing population, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said on Wednesday, urging the members of the minority ethnic community to run for elected offices increasingly.

Ms. Harris, who is of both Indian and African heritage, was speaking at “Desis Decide” — the annual summit of Indian American Impact, a democratic party think tank, that supports and funds Indian Americans running for elected offices across the country.

“Over the years, we’ve had so much more participation by Indian Americans in the electoral process running for office. But the numbers are still not reflective of the size of the growing population,” Ms. Harris, the first-ever Indian American, African American, and a woman to be elected as the vice president of the U.S. told a packed room of Indian Americans in the national capital.

Currently, there are five elected Indian American members of the Congress — Dr. Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, and Shri Thanedar. Impact believed that in 2024, the Indian American strength in the Congress will increase to 10 members.

In a tightly contested presidential race, Impact said Indian American voters — the second largest immigrant community and fastest growing in many states — could be the decisive margin of victory in key races across the country.

The work being done by Impact, Ms. Harris said in her opening remarks, is extraordinary as she applauded the role of the think tank and its members in electing not only members of the community but also in electing Senators in states like Georgia.

“It really is extraordinary. I wanted to stop by to thank of course the organisation for everything and for all that it represents, but also to say especially to those who have run for office or aspire to run for office, that you must run,” Ms. Harris said.

“You must know that you are not alone. There is so much that we still have to do as a country and a lot of the work that we each do, which is why we are here together, is born out of a belief in the promise of America. And dare I say that, I am empirical evidence of the promise of America,” said the Vice President.

“This election coming up in six months, I think is presenting a question to each of us. Which is, what kind of world do we want to live in and what kind of country do we want to live in? And one of the ways that we answer that question is to seek office and to participate in elections knowing that the outcome of those elections matter in fundamental ways,” Ms. Harris said as she asked the members of the audience to raise their hands if they were running for office or planning to do so.

“What will happen, invariably it’s happened to all of us, is you are going to find yourself invariably in rooms where you are the only one who looks like you, the only one who has had your life experience. What I then say to you each, look around this room and hold onto this image. And remember then when you walk into those rooms, when you walk into those situations, you remember, you are not alone. We are all there with you. You must remember that,” she said.

Speaking on the occasion, Impact co-founder and treasurer Deepak Raj said Ms. Harris was instrumental in its formation eight years ago.

“She has been an incredible guiding force for this organisation over the duration. She came to the first summit in 2018 and here she is again,” Mr. Raj said.

Mr. Raj said Ms. Harris is not only the first woman but the first South Asian Indian American woman, to be elected as the Vice President of the U.S.

“She has been an incredible role model, I think for all of us. What she has done is she has paved the way for women, for immigrants and minorities and is a true hero and an inspiration for all of us,” he said.

“I think her success, what she has achieved, gives us the hope and the confidence that we have a bright future, all of us together fighting for public office and as a community,” Mr. Raj said.

As the Vice President took the stage, some briefly chanted “Four more years.” However, one person yelled “Shame on you,” which appeared to be in reference to the war in Gaza, but it was not clear. The protester was soon removed from the room.

Ms. Harris also spoke about her mom coming to the U.S. from India when she was 19 years old and marching for Civil Rights in Berkeley.

She said growing up, she would visit India every two years and her grandfather would take her on morning walks. “And I remember as a young girl… hearing them discuss the importance of standing for what is right and fairness,” she said.

Washington:

The number of Indian Americans in elected offices is not reflective of their growing population, US Vice President Kamala Harris said on Wednesday, urging the members of the minority ethnic community to run for elected offices increasingly.

Harris, who is of both Indian and African heritage, was speaking at “Desis Decide” — the annual summit of Indian American Impact, a democratic party think tank, that supports and funds Indian Americans running for elected offices across the country.

“Over the years, we’ve had so much more participation by Indian Americans in the electoral process running for office. But the numbers are still not reflective of the size of the growing population,” Harris, the first-ever Indian American, African American, and a woman to be elected as the vice president of the US told a packed room of Indian Americans in the national capital.

Currently, there are five elected Indian American members of the Congress — Dr Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, and Shri Thanedar. Impact believed that in 2024, the Indian American strength in the Congress will increase to 10 members.

In a tightly contested presidential race, Impact said Indian American voters — the second largest immigrant community and fastest growing in many states — could be the decisive margin of victory in key races across the country.

The work being done by Impact, Harris said in her opening remarks, is extraordinary as she applauded the role of the think tank and its members in electing not only members of the community but also in electing Senators in states like Georgia.

“It really is extraordinary. I wanted to stop by to thank of course the organisation for everything and for all that it represents, but also to say especially to those who have run for office or aspire to run for office, that you must run,” Harris said.

“You must know that you are not alone. There is so much that we still have to do as a country and a lot of the work that we each do, which is why we are here together, is born out of a belief in the promise of America. And dare I say that, I am empirical evidence of the promise of America,” said the vice president.

“This election coming up in six months, I think is presenting a question to each of us. Which is, what kind of world do we want to live in and what kind of country do we want to live in? And one of the ways that we answer that question is to seek office and to participate in elections knowing that the outcome of those elections matter in fundamental ways,” Harris said as she asked the members of the audience to raise their hands if they were running for office or planning to do so.

“What will happen, invariably it’s happened to all of us, is you are going to find yourself invariably in rooms where you are the only one who looks like you, the only one who has had your life experience. What I then say to you each, look around this room and hold onto this image. And remember then when you walk into those rooms, when you walk into those situations, you remember, you are not alone. We are all there with you. You must remember that,” she said.

Speaking on the occasion, Impact co-founder and treasurer Deepak Raj said Harris was instrumental in its formation eight years ago.

“She has been an incredible guiding force for this organisation over the duration. She came to the first summit in 2018 and here she is again,” Raj said.

Raj said Harris is not only the first woman but the first South Asian Indian American woman, to be elected as the vice president of the US.

“She has been an incredible role model, I think for all of us. What she has done is she has paved the way for women, for immigrants and minorities and is a true hero and an inspiration for all of us,” he said.

“I think her success, what she has achieved, gives us the hope and the confidence that we have a bright future, all of us together fighting for public office and as a community,” Raj said.

As the vice president took the stage, some briefly chanted “Four more years.” However, one person yelled “Shame on you,” which appeared to be in reference to the war in Gaza, but it was not clear. The protester was soon removed from the room.

Harris also spoke about her mom coming to the US from India when she was 19 years old and marching for Civil Rights in Berkeley.

She said growing up, she would visit India every two years and her grandfather would take her on morning walks. “And I remember as a young girl… hearing them discuss the importance of standing for what is right and fairness,” she said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)