"Tariff Call Centres": US Influencers Target India Over Visas, Immigration

American right-wing commentators have launched a campaign against India, using trade tensions and immigration as rallying points in an increasingly hostile debate on social media. Prominent conservative voices, many with large followings on social media, have singled out Indian workers, students, and "call centres" in a barrage of posts that have drawn accusations of racism and hypocrisy.

"Don't forget that any trade deal with India will require us to give them more visas. I'd rather not pay them in visas and trade deficits. Let Modi see what terms he can get from Xi instead," wrote Fox News host Laura Ingraham on X. 

Her comments were quickly echoed and amplified by Donald Trump supporter Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, who accused Indian professionals of displacing American workers.