Aaron Reitz, a Republican candidate for Texas attorney general, is facing sharp criticism after posting comments on X that were widely condemned as racist and inflammatory toward Indians and South Asians.
In a post that quickly went viral, Reitz claimed Texas risked becoming like India or Pakistan due to immigration, writing that “Collin, Dallas, and Harris Counties may soon be renamed Calcutta, Delhi, and Hyderabad Counties,” which he described as the result of an “invasion of un-assimilated and un-assimilable Indians.”
Reitz also targeted global corporations operating in Texas, accusing them of exploiting the state’s business-friendly policies while supporting H-1B visas. He alleged that companies showed “contempt for native-born American workers” and facilitated what he called an “H-1B scam for cheap labor.”
“As AG, I’ll partner with the Trump Admin to re-open the books on all their ‘legal’ paperwork,” Reitz wrote. “Deport most. Assimilate the rest. At the same time, I’ll go after the gutless, treasonous corporations who have no loyalty to our state… This is Texas, USA—not India or Pakistan.”
The remarks prompted swift pushback on social media. X user Sidharth (@Cloudwatch199) fact-checked Reitz’s statements, pointing out that one of his largest campaign donors is Anosh Ahmed, a Pakistani-American doctor. According to Sidharth, Ahmed has been federally indicted in a COVID-19 testing fraud case.
Sidharth further accused Reitz of hypocrisy, writing that while the candidate claims to oppose turning Texas into Indian cities, he has accepted support from figures allegedly linked to Islamist groups. He condemned Reitz for using Indian cities as “racist slurs,” calling the rhetoric “disgusting.”
Campaign finance records from Transparency USA show that Reitz accepted a USD 100,000 donation from Ahmed, making him one of the campaign’s top contributors.
Legal experts also weighed in on the controversy. Houston-based immigration attorney Steven Brown noted that Indian nationals make up less than 2% of Texas’ population, calling Reitz’s language “dog whistle rhetoric” that exaggerates immigration realities.
The controversy adds to growing scrutiny of rhetoric around immigration and foreign workers in US elections, particularly as candidates increasingly target visa programs and multinational corporations in their campaigns.
Intro: In a post that quickly went viral, Reitz claimed Texas risked becoming like India or Pakistan due to immigration, writing that “Collin, Dallas, and Harris Counties may soon be renamed Calcutta, Delhi, and Hyderabad Counties.”
Aaron Reitz, a Republican candidate for Texas attorney general, is facing sharp criticism after posting comments on X that were widely condemned as racist and inflammatory toward Indians and South Asians.
In a post that quickly went viral, Reitz claimed Texas risked becoming like India or Pakistan due to immigration, writing that “Collin, Dallas, and Harris Counties may soon be renamed Calcutta, Delhi, and Hyderabad Counties,” which he described as the result of an “invasion of un-assimilated and un-assimilable Indians.”
Reitz also targeted global corporations operating in Texas, accusing them of exploiting the state’s business-friendly policies while supporting H-1B visas. He alleged that companies showed “contempt for native-born American workers” and facilitated what he called an “H-1B scam for cheap labor.”
“As AG, I’ll partner with the Trump Admin to re-open the books on all their ‘legal’ paperwork,” Reitz wrote. “Deport most. Assimilate the rest. At the same time, I’ll go after the gutless, treasonous corporations who have no loyalty to our state… This is Texas, USA—not India or Pakistan.”
The remarks prompted swift pushback on social media. X user Sidharth (@Cloudwatch199) fact-checked Reitz’s statements, pointing out that one of his largest campaign donors is Anosh Ahmed, a Pakistani-American doctor. According to Sidharth, Ahmed has been federally indicted in a COVID-19 testing fraud case.
Sidharth further accused Reitz of hypocrisy, writing that while the candidate claims to oppose turning Texas into Indian cities, he has accepted support from figures allegedly linked to Islamist groups. He condemned Reitz for using Indian cities as “racist slurs,” calling the rhetoric “disgusting.”
Campaign finance records from Transparency USA show that Reitz accepted a USD 100,000 donation from Ahmed, making him one of the campaign’s top contributors.
Legal experts also weighed in on the controversy. Houston-based immigration attorney Steven Brown noted that Indian nationals make up less than 2% of Texas’ population, calling Reitz’s language “dog whistle rhetoric” that exaggerates immigration realities.
The controversy adds to growing scrutiny of rhetoric around immigration and foreign workers in US elections, particularly as candidates increasingly target visa programs and multinational corporations in their campaigns.
