A well coordinated online campaign originating from the anonymous message board 4chan reportedly disrupted travel plans of Indian H-1B visa holders attempting to return to US.
The campaign named ‘clog the toilet’, the effort appears to be a response to President Donald Trump’s recent announcement proposing a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applications.
Though White House later clarified that the fee would only apply to new applicants and not to existing H-1B holders, the campaign had already impacted flight availability and airfares on key India–US routes, creating huge confusion and panic among Indian professionals.
What is ‘clog the toilet’ campaign?
The campaign, organised by far-right users on 4chan and other fringe forums like Telegram, encouraged participants to identify heavily trafficked India–US flights, particularly to cities like New York, Newark, and Dallas, and repeatedly start the ticket booking process without completing payment. This move temporarily held large numbers of seats, making them unavailable to actual travelers, and drove up ticket prices due to apparent scarcity.
One widely shared message on 4chan read, “Indians are just waking up after the H-1B news. Want to keep them in India? Clog the flight reservation system.” The ones who were a part of the campaign held over 100 seats to “wreck Jeets,” a racial slur directed at South Asians.
Clarification from White House
As the campaign gained traction and panic spread, the White House issued a clarification to dispel the confusion. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on X, “Those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently outside of the country right now will NOT be charged $100,000 to re-enter. This applies only to new visas, not renewals, and not current visa holders.”
However, by that time, many Indian travelers had already faced inflated airfares, difficulty booking seats, and emotional distress due to the sudden disruption.
While there is no formal acknowledgment from airlines regarding the manipulation of booking systems, travel agents and passengers have reported unusual behavior in fare patterns and seat availability, especially on direct India–US routes.