Kamal Ghorui
A US lawmaker’s remarks about Indian workers at 7-Eleven stores triggered an online debate, with reactions ranging from MAGA support to criticism from progressives over his comments and personal ties.Texas congressman Brandon Gill is facing backlash after a video of him criticising the hiring of Indian workers went viral on X. In the clip, Gill called the idea of bringing workers from India to fill jobs in the United States “asinine” and “idiotic”.“We don’t need to import 7-Eleven workers from India or anywhere across the globe. Hire Americans,” he wrote while sharing the video.The remarks were made during an appearance on The Benny Show, where Gill spoke about changing demographics in parts of Texas such as Frisco. He linked immigration, both legal and illegal, to job competition and alleged misuse of the H-1B visa system. Referring to a viral video filmed inside a 7-Eleven store, he claimed such cases pointed to fraud, adding, “This stuff has to end at some point and I think that point is now.”The clip stirred a row that was originally recorded by YouTuber Tyler Oliveira, showing an Indian employee at a Texas store who said he was working in the US on an H-1B visa and was from Andhra Pradesh.Gill’s response drew reactions online. One user wrote, “I don’t care if Brandon’s wife is half Indian. He’s literally the only guy in Congress willing to go here. He didn’t have to say this, and he knew he would take fire from the Indian pockets in his district, but he still went for it. I am pro-Brandon Gill.”However, many others criticised the congressman, pointing out that his wife, Danielle D’Souza Gill, is of Indian origin. She is the daughter of MAGA ally and conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza, who was born in Mumbai and later moved to the United States.“Truly bizarre statement from a man married to an Indian woman, with Indian in-laws. Publicly he preaches white nationalism but in the bedroom, he’s a Third Worldist. The racist version of the closeted gay pastor,” one user said. Despite the criticism, Gill has remained consistent in his stance on immigration. He has previously argued that legal immigration is not automatically beneficial and has linked mass migration to cultural and economic changes in the United States.
