Archive · 14 Sep 2026
Texas Republicans Condemn Bo French Post Targeting Indian Students
Bo French is a Republican candidate for a statewide Texas office.
He shared a picture of University of Texas students cheering at a football game.
The students appeared to be South Asian or Indian American.
French said the picture showed that Americans had been replaced by foreigners and called the situation a problem.
Many Republicans, including Senator John Cornyn and Governor Greg Abbott, criticized his message.
Democrats and community groups also said the post was racist and unfairly judged people by how they looked.
Governor Abbott criticized the post but continued to support strict immigration policies.
French did not apologize or remove the post and instead criticized some of his opponents.
A former Texas Republican Party leader defended French’s broader concerns about immigration and labor.
Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, posted photos of South Asian students celebrating a University of Texas football victory.
French described the scene as evidence that Americans had been “displaced by foreigners” and called the students a “problem.”
Republican officials including John Cornyn, Greg Abbott, Lacey Hull, Jared Patterson, and Dustin Burrows condemned or rejected the post.
Democrats and Indian-American advocacy groups called the remarks racist or xenophobic and said the students were targeted based on their appearance.
French did not delete the posts, attacked critics as “RINOs,” and received support from former Texas Republican Party chair Matt Rinaldi.
- Who
- Bo French, Texas Republican officials, Democratic lawmakers, and Indian-American and Hindu advocacy groups.
- What
- French posted photos of South Asian University of Texas students and described them as evidence of foreign displacement and as a “problem,” prompting bipartisan condemnation.
- When
- The posts were published on a Sunday identified by one report as September 13; the year is not specified in the articles.
- Where
- On X, with photographs taken at a University of Texas football game in Texas.
- Why
- Critics said French judged or demonized students because of their race or appearance, while French and his supporters linked the issue to immigration, university admissions, and labor concerns.
Critics of French’s Posts
French and Immigration Hardliners
Meaning of the student photo
Critics of French’s Posts
Republican critics, Democrats, and advocacy groups said the image showed young Texans supporting their university and that calling them foreigners or a problem was racist and xenophobic.
French and Immigration Hardliners
French portrayed the students’ appearance and presence as evidence of foreign displacement and claimed Texas institutions were being overrun by illegal aliens and foreign nationals.
Immigration and labor concerns
Critics of French’s Posts
Critics said immigration policy can be debated without targeting students based on race or ethnicity and argued that South Asian Americans are as American as anyone else.
French and Immigration Hardliners
French and supporters such as Matt Rinaldi connected the controversy to concerns about immigration, university admissions, government assistance, and cheap labor; Abbott separately maintained support for restrictive immigration policies.
- Candidate
- Bo French is the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner and previously chaired the Tarrant County Republican Party.
- Post wording
- French wrote that the scene showed how many Americans had been “displaced by foreigners” and said the “problem” was worse than imagined.
- Photo context
- The images showed University of Texas students, described in the reports as South Asian, Indian American, or brown, celebrating a football victory over Ohio State.
- Republican reaction
- John Cornyn called the post racist, while Greg Abbott said the photo showed Texans united behind their college football team.
- Texas lawmakers
- Lacey Hull urged French to delete the post; Jared Patterson called it racist; and House Speaker Dustin Burrows said immigration policy could be opposed without demeaning people by race or ethnicity.
- Advocacy response
- The Indian American Advocacy Council and Hindu American Foundation condemned the remarks, and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi described them as xenophobic.
- French’s response
- French reportedly kept the post online, called critics “Republicans in Name Only” and “America Last” figures, and received support from former Texas GOP chair Matt Rinaldi.
- Immigration policy
- Abbott continued advocating strict immigration laws and freezing H-1B visas at Texas universities, despite rejecting French’s characterization of the students.
Sources
Indian Americans, fellow Republicans react sharply to Bo French’s post targeting 'foreigner' students in Texas
Republican candidate's 'racist' post against Indian students sparks outrage, Texas gov denounces
Texas Republican sparks uproar over ‘how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners’ post targeting South Asian students
