The Hindu American Foundation has criticised Texas politicians for linking the recent Austin shooting to immigration and skilled worker visas (H1-B), calling the reaction “absurd political theater”.
In a post on X, the advocacy group pushed back against attempts to connect the attack to the H-1B visa programme, saying that the gunman was not a visa holder but a long-settled American citizen.
The group said: “Texas politicians are blaming H-1B visas for the Austin shooting. The suspect was a U.S. citizen, long settled in the country, not some foreign worker on a visa.”
It added, “Using a tragedy to attack skilled immigrants? That’s not policy.
That’s absurd political theater. Please. Make it make sense. ”The comments came after a mass shooting in downtown Austin, Texas, in which 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne opened fire outside a crowded bar, killing two people and injuring 14 others before being shot dead by police.
Reports revealed that Diagne was originally from Senegal and had entered the United States on a tourist visa in 2000. He later became a lawful permanent resident after marrying a US citizen in 2006 and was naturalised in 2013.
Despite this, the shooting triggered a political push from several Texas Republicans to halt immigration programmes. More than 70 Republican lawmakers signed a letter to Congress urging sweeping restrictions, including an immediate freeze on issuing H-1B visas, a programme that allows US companies to hire highly skilled foreign professionals in specialised fields.
In the letter, the lawmakers argued that stricter controls were necessary for national security and called for a pause on immigration until authorities could better track and vet individuals entering the country.
The demands also included fully funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and redirecting resources towards identifying potential threats already within US.
