MAGA influencer Andrew Branca stirred a row after posting a video on X in which he claimed that Indian workers on H‑1B visas should be deported, even if they contribute to the US economy.Branca said that the economic contributions of Indians do not justify their presence, insisting that only native American workers are entitled to the jobs. “Even if it were true that every Indian deported or not brought in on an H1B somehow costs the US economy $100,000 in taxes paid or whatever—and it’s not—I would still deport,” he said on X.In the video, Branca elaborated that foreign workers “stole” jobs from Americans. He added, “First, if the Indian didn’t have that job and pay those taxes it would be an American in that job paying those taxes, so that’s a wash.” He went on to say that even if the country were losing money economically, deportation would still be justified in his view. In terms of cultural preservation, Branca asserted that immigrants from “third-world” countries undermine America’s “first-world, largely white culture.” He claimed that mass migration is destroying American culture: “Whatever economic value they’re adding to America, they’re destroying America’s high trust first world largely white culture through contamination and infection with the third-world culture they bring with them.”He also shunned down Indians’ tax contributions, referring to a figure he saw claiming Indian workers paid $89,000 each in taxes, which he described as a “lie.” For Branca, there was no amount of economic compensation that could justify the loss of American cultural values.Branca’s comments come amid ongoing debates in the US over H‑1B visas and hardline conservative immigration policy, especially following President Trump’s announcement in September of a proposed $100,000 fee for certain visa applications.
