DALLAS (Diya TV) — Texas Congressman Brandon Gill of the 26th Congressional District is under fire after a tweet that described an Indian American community volleyball tournament in Dallas as representative of a “caste system.” The event, hosted by the Leuva Patidar Samaj, attracted around 8,000 participants from a community of around 40,000 in the United States.
Dylan Patel, a tech analyst, on March 1 posted a photo of the tournament, pointing out the robust attendance and identifying many of the competitors as business owners in the motel and gas station sectors. Gill replied, “America is the ‘land of opportunity’ because we DON’T have a caste system. We can’t preserve America’s prosperity and freedom by importing foreign class loyalties. Immigration without assimilation is national and cultural suicide.”
The congressman’s words were followed by a quick backlash. Suhag Shukla, co-founder of the Hindu American Foundation, rebuked Gill’s view, saying, “Respectfully, the abuse of the term ‘caste’ and now your tweet is promulgating the kind of anti-Indian and anti-Hindu hate that days ago caused actual violence.” She clarified that the event was a community celebration of traditional farmers now working for America as small shop and hotel owners, hiring employees, and paying taxes. Shukla went on to criticize Gill’s description by posing the question, “Would you have said the same thing if Scot-Irish farm families from West Virginia or Pennsylvania Mennonite families were getting together in Dallas? We need our elected leaders to do better.”
Gill, a former conservative student activist at Dartmouth College and vocal critic of progressive policies, has made himself a champion of traditional American values. He is married to the daughter of Indian American conservative author and activist Dinesh D’Souza. His tweet is part of a larger nationalist discourse around immigration and assimilation, themes that are at the heart of former President Donald Trump’s political movement.
This event coincides with a growing examination of how caste is being talked about in the U.S. and increasing concern about anti-Indian and anti-Hindu attitudes. It also highlights the lingering tensions between minority communities and right-wing politicians about identity and belonging in America.
Gill’s recent behavior has not gone uncontroversially. He has demanded the deportation of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, saying, “America would be a much better place if she were sent back to Somalia.” He has also revealed plans to introduce legislation into Congress calling for a substitution of Donald Trump’s image for that of Benjamin Franklin’s on the $100 bill because it would mark the future achievements of the government.
Since these debates on immigration, assimilation, and the definition of community continue, the remarks of Gill have further energized discussions around the role that diverse communities would play in American society.
