A social media post by an American man has reignited intense debate around H-1B visas, Indian immigration, and cultural integration in the U.S. Sean Carpenter, a musician and self-identified Republican MAGA supporter, posted on X after he overheard three gate agents at a Washington D.C. airport speaking Hindi. His post quickly went viral and drew widespread criticism across the political spectrum.
“Sitting in the DC airport, listening to three gate agents speaking Hindi behind me. Tell me why we need Indians to work the gates at airports again?” Carpenter wrote. He concluded the post with, “H1B is a complete fraud.”
The backlash was swift and pointed, with many users highlighting both the factual inaccuracy of his claims and the xenophobic undertones. Several commenters noted that gate agent roles do not fall under the H-1B visa program, which is intended for highly skilled positions in areas such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
“You know Indians who are born here and American citizens speak Hindi, right? Or Green card holders who became naturalized speak Hindi as well,” one user replied. Another added, “H1B isn’t for working in airports. These gate guys came through family green card.”
Others questioned Carpenter’s assumptions more broadly. “Wouldn’t being multilingual be an asset working at an airport? Your comment makes you sound like kind of a rude,” one user said. Another pointed out the linguistic ignorance in Carpenter’s post, “Those agents could have been speaking Urdu, or Pashtu or another language. Do you know the difference? I speak Hindi, but not the other languages. Are you a language expert? Or just a garden variety racist?”
One particularly pointed response stated, “Indians are the reason your flights run on time, your tech works, and your hospitals aren’t collapsing. While you sit there complaining about people speaking Hindi, they’re doing real work, taking care of their families, and still respecting their culture. Maybe try working half as hard before calling H1B a fraud. Without Indians, a lot in your country would stop working – including that airport you’re sitting in.”
One commenter delivered a stinging rebuke, “It’s one thing to make xenophobic comments publicly. It’s quite another thing to expose one’s ignorance so monumentally.”
And another wrapped up the sentiment shared by many, “Stop being a racist and focus on your own karma. You will certainly do better. Take care.”