A major controversy erupted online after Republican senator from Missouri Eric Schmitt criticised the United States employment-based H-1B visa system and referenced Hyderabad’s famous Chilkur Balaji Temple, popularly known as the “Visa Temple.” In a series of posts on social media platform X, Schmitt attacked programmes such as H-1B, L-1, F-1 visas, and Optional Practical Training (OPT), alleging that they were displacing American workers and weakening middle-class job opportunities in the United States.
“The H-1B program is a total fraud and a total scam. Globalist corporations want America’s markets, America’s courts, and America’s protections, but not America’s workers. That betrayal must end now,” Schmitt wrote in one of his posts. Calling the system a “Visa Cartel,” the senator claimed that large corporations were using foreign worker programmes to suppress wages and reduce employment opportunities for US citizens.
“The Visa Cartel is hollowing out the American middle class,” Schmitt said, arguing that the current employment visa structure benefits multinational companies while undermining domestic labour markets. His remarks drew particular attention in India after he mentioned the Chilkur Balaji Temple in the state of Telangana.
The Chilkur Balaji Temple, known as the “Visa Balaji Temple,” is an ancient Hindu temple near the outskirts of Hyderabad, dedicated to Lord Balaji. It became famous for a unique tradition in which devotees take 11 spiritual rounds (pradakshinas) to pray for visa approvals and 108 rounds to give thanks upon approval, and this practice is still observed to date.
US President Donald Trump has also repeatedly taken a hardline stance on immigration and foreign worker programmes, particularly the H-1B system heavily used by Indian technology professionals. During his administration, Trump pushed for tighter visa rules, higher salary thresholds, and stricter scrutiny of technology firms hiring overseas talent.
India remains one of the largest beneficiaries of the H-1B visa programme, with thousands of Indian IT professionals moving to the United States each year for employment opportunities. Schmitt’s “Visa Cartel” remarks and his reference to Indian tech workers triggered strong reactions online, with many Indian users criticising the comments as insensitive and unnecessary.
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