Activist's Texas Hanuman temple video triggers racist rhetoric, hate comments

An American conservative influencer's video on the Karya Siddhi Hanuman Temple in Frisco, Texas, has invited a flood of hate comments. Savannah Hernandez, of Turning Point USA, revealed her intentions as she pointed to the "huge pile of shoes" and that the devotees were praying for visas. America is seeing a rise in anti-Indian sentiments even as the Trump administration cracks down on immigration, both legal and illegal.

In a clip posted on X, Savannah Hernandez said, "This is Savannah Hernandez in Frisco, Texas and I have been hearing from quite a few Texans about the changing culture and demographic up in North Texas, so I wanted to come and check it out myself."

Standing outside the large temple in a residential neighbourhood, Hernandez continued: "Behind me is the Hanuman temple. You have this very large, very intricate temple that is in this location where, quite frankly, you would not expect it." She then pointed to "a huge pile of shoes outside because you cannot wear shoes inside the temple" and described entering: "When you get inside you see people worshipping multiple deities and the one that did stick out to me was the area where people were going to pray for blessings of health and also for work visas."

Hernandez is hardly the first to trigger outrage by linking Hindu religious structures in the US with claims of an "Indian takeover" of the US.

Last year, Carlos Turcios, a self-described political activist affiliated to the MAGA movement has triggered a similar controversy after posting a video of a towering Lord Hanuman statue at a Hindu temple and calling it evidence of an invasion by Indian immigrants.

His video featured the 90-foot statue at the Shri Ashtalakshmi Temple in Sugar Land, near Houston. "This is not Islamabad, Pakistan, or New Delhi, India. This is Sugar Land, Texas. Third World Aliens are slowly taking over Texas and America. Why is the third-largest statue in the US this??! Stop the INVASION!" he had written.

HERNANDEZ LINKS TEXAS HANUMAN TEMPLE TO DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFT

Hernandez linked her observations to local shifts, stating, "Going back to that changing demographic back in 2010, you had about 10% Asian or Indian population in this area, which has since surged to over 30% and on top of that, Texans telling me as well that some of these school districts now primarily are made up of demographically Asian students."

She added: "You have multiple Hindu temples all over the DFW(Dallas Fort Worth) area. In McKinney, you have a baseball field that has since been converted to a major league cricket field. Across the street from this temple I saw some men playing cricket. And then you also had the Holi festival that was happening here in McKinney. Pretty crazy to see such an intricate and large temple in the middle of this residential neighbourhood."

The video quickly ignited polarised reactions online. One person commented, "Texas is being conquered by both Muslims AND Indians. An Indian temple honouring a monkey god. It literally looks like you’re in a foreign country, but it’s Texas."

Another commented, "We must be confident enough in our own culture and religion to say no. Americans are better, Christianity is better. We must send foreigners home along with their false demons." Another person warned that Christendom was allegedly at risk in the US, writing, "Christendom must be protected from foreign pagan gods. I think that is the biggest fight of our generation. Indians, muslims, israelis, african beasts. We should not discriminate amongst them but rather treat them the same. Non christians."

Other commenters fired back, with one writing, "Ms Hernandez, please work on illegal immigrants from your culture raping and robbing people in Texas rather than hard-working & law-abiding successful Indians contributing to the economy keeping people like you employed."

Another person expressed their dissatisfaction with Hernandez's report and praised Indians as being "hardworking, the highest paid ethnicity in USA, they own more than half of the hotels in the USA, they are doctors, CEOs, rocket scientists, startup unicorn owners etc. Vibrant community with no drugs, no crimes, no riots, no guns, no shooting school children, no pedos etc."

H-1B VISA ALREADY UNDER ATTACK FROM MAGA CROWD

This latest episode is part of growing unease in North Texas surrounding the topic of Indian immigration. Earlier in February 2026, a Frisco city council meeting turned heated as residents and activists raised alarms over what some called an "Indian takeover," citing the influence of H-1B visa holders on local politics, jobs, and demographics.

Similar sentiments from MAGA-aligned voices have framed rapid Indian demographic growth in the Dallas-Fort Worth area as a threat to American identity. For instance, former US Congressional representative and noted anti-H-1B visa campaigner Marjorie Taylor Greene made unsubstantiated claims in an X post in January this year, which alleged that an Indian-origin immigration lawyer, Chand Paravanthaneni based in Dallas, Texas, had single-handedly approved over 700,000 new H-1B visas in 2025 alone. She had also claimed that various areas in the state of Texas, like Irving, Plano, Las Colinas, Frisco, McKinney and Prosper have been "completely overrun and overtaken by both Muslims and Indians."

The controversy highlights how debates over high-skilled immigration are increasingly blending with visible cultural changes. The New York Times had previously reported how debates around immigration were being used to drive up racist rhetoric, especially against Indians and Indian Americans, who are caught in the crossfire between their economic contributions and rising nativist concerns. This despite the fact that Indians have blended so well into the American society and helped it grow with talent, jobs and investments.

- Ends

Tune In