For Dr. Srinivasachary Tamirisa, a retired obstetrician-gynecologist living in Sugar Land, Texas, it was supposed to be the culmination of 25 years of effort. The statue of Lord Hanuman, erected on the grounds of a temple he helped found, was a symbol of devotion and community. Yet, the joyous day in 2023, marked by the playing of both the Indian and American national anthems, was marred by a jarring protest just outside.
A Dream Realized, Then Challenged
Hundreds had gathered to celebrate the fulfillment of Dr. Tamirisa's long-held dream. Having immigrated to the United States fifty years ago, he built what many consider the classic American success story: a thriving medical career where he delivered about a dozen babies each month, a life in an affluent Houston suburb, and children who became doctors and investment bankers after attending elite colleges. He became a proud U.S. citizen. However, dozens of conservative protesters gathered outside the event, denouncing the installation. A U.S. Senate candidate among them questioned, "Why are we allowing a false statue of a false Hindu God to be here in Texas? We are a CHRISTIAN nation."
Dr. Tamirisa was stunned. "I thought this was heaven on earth," he said. The experience led him to deeply question his life in America and even consider returning to India. "Why am I here? I question that to myself," he reflected. His story is not isolated but part of a broader wave of anti-Indian animus that is causing many in the community to reassess their future in the country.
The Political Shift Against Skilled Immigration
This animus manifests in crude racism on social media but is also fostered by rhetoric from top Republican officials. Figures like Stephen Miller, architect of former President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, have accused Indians of "cheating on immigration policies." Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has labeled the H-1B skilled worker visa program as "chain migration run amok." This represents a startling turn for one of modern history's most successful migration stories.
Since the 1965 immigration law opened doors globally, hundreds of thousands of Indians have moved to the U.S. Milan Vaishnav, director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, notes that "Indian Americans have really been, in many ways, the poster children for America's legal skilled immigration regime." Now, this decades-long, mutually beneficial relationship is facing a severe chill.
Concrete Consequences: Students and Jobs at Risk
The combination of hostile rhetoric and restrictive policies is having a tangible impact. While Indians became the largest group of foreign students in U.S. universities in 2023, their arrivals plummeted by 44% the following year. The case of Sai Sushma Pasupuleti, a doctoral student in electrical engineering at the University of Houston, illustrates the new hurdles. At a recent job fair, she was turned away from booth after booth when she revealed she was not a U.S. citizen. "I would like to find some secure place," she said, now considering opportunities in Europe.
This trend puzzles many, given the massive U.S. investment in educating such talent. For over two decades, foreign students have been awarded more doctorates than U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The Trump administration's national security strategy explicitly redefines merit in nationalist terms, warning against opening the labor market to "global talent" that might undercut American workers—a move experts call a push for "talent autarky."
The United States has been profoundly shaped by Indian immigrants. The current political climate suggests the nation may now be profoundly changed by their absence, potentially leaving it poorer, weaker, and more isolated. For pioneers like Dr. Tamirisa and new arrivals like Sai Sushma, the promise of America feels increasingly uncertain.
