Republican candidate brands South Asian students a 'problem,' sparks fury

• Bo French brands South Asian students cheering a Texas win a "problem," igniting fury
• Cornyn calls it racist, demands fellow Republicans condemn "intolerance" before it's "normalized"
• Krishnamoorthi, Indian American groups slam post as "xenophobic" and "disgusting racist attack"
• Republican Matt Rinaldi defends French, accuses critics of pushing "cheap labor" agenda

A REPUBLICAN candidate has been accused of racism after branding a group of South Asian students celebrating a Texas football win a "problem," triggering a furious bipartisan backlash.

Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner who has called for the deportation of 100 million immigrants, shared a photo of students of South Asian descent cheering the Longhorns' win, claiming it showed "how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners."

In a follow-up post sharing the same photo, French wrote: "I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn't believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined."

The remarks drew swift condemnation from within his own party. Senator John Cornyn called the post racist and challenged other Republicans to speak out. "This is the Republican nominee for statewide office," Cornyn wrote on X. "Are other Republican elected officials going to condemn the intolerance and racism, or look the other way while it becomes normalized? This is how great political parties self-destruct. Sad," said Cornyn, co-chair of the US Senate India Caucus.

Cornyn, a four-term Senator, lost the Senate primary this year to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

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James Talarico, the Democratic candidate running against Paxton, seized on the moment: "Thank you @JohnCornyn for your leadership. Racism has no place in Texas. @KenPaxtonTX: Will you condemn this blatant racism, or will you cower to extremists?"

Republican members of the Texas House also turned on French. "Please delete this. This post breaks my heart. I see college kids cheering on their football team. I see Texans," state representative Lacey Hull wrote on X. Fellow state representative Jared Patterson called the post "racist," saying it demeaned students because of their race or ethnicity.

The anger extended well beyond Texas. Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi called French's post "xenophobic" and said it reflected a wider pattern of hostility. "Bo French's xenophobic hate toward South Asian students is disgraceful and part of a broader rise in attacks targeting South Asian Americans across the country," he said. "These young people were cheering for their university, and he chose to demonize them based solely on how they look. South Asian Americans are as American as anyone, and this kind of hatred has no place in our politics or our country."

The Indian American Advocacy Council went further, calling the post a "disgusting racist attack on brown students at the University of Texas." It said: "He looked at a photograph of brown students cheering for their university and immediately decided they were 'foreigners.' That is racism."

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The Hindu American Foundation also weighed in, warning that "anti-Indian & anti-Hindu hatred" was at an all-time high and demanding that elected leaders "eradicate this cancer from our political discourse."

Texas is home to an estimated 1.9 million Asian Americans, including more than 450,000 Indian Americans, and immigration has become a flashpoint in the state's elections, particularly among Republicans.

Not everyone condemned French. Former Texas GOP Chair Matt Rinaldi instead attacked Cornyn and other Republicans, accusing them of mortgaging "our children's future for government handouts and cheap labor."

(With inputs from agencies)