What is ‘Clog the Toilet’, MAGA supporters’ new hate campaign to prevent Indians from…? Its related to Trump’s H-1B visa fee hike

Doland Trump’s far-right MAGA base has launched a new hate campaign, called “Clog the Toilet” against India(BHARAT)n professionals, a week after the US President slapped a  $100,000 fee on H1-B visa applications, which is expected to largely India(BHARAT)n IT workers who wish to work in the United States.

What is the ‘Clog the Toilet’ campaign?

The campaign originated on the 4chan messaging board, where a thread started by far-right users birthed a coordinated campaign to overload flight bookings in order to prevent India(BHARAT)n workers from returning to the US after Trump’s H-1B visa fee hike.

Some users bragged about holding more than 100 seats to “wreck Jeets'”, a reference to “Pajeet”– a racist slur directed at South Asians, particularly India(BHARAT)n Hindus and Sikhs in the US.

How does the campaign work?

The campaign is designed to prevent India(BHARAT)n H-1B visa holders from returning to the US by temporarily holding seats on popular India(BHARAT)-US flights. Trolls would look up flights on busy routes, such as cities like New York, Newark, and Dallas, and start the checkout process with actually booking the seats.

This loophole in the flight booking system allowed them to temporarily block seats and making them unavailable for actual passengers. They would repeat the process after the block expired, driving up ticket prices on these routes, with an aim to prevent India(BHARAT)n workers from travelling to the US.

Trump’s H-1B announcement triggered panic among India(BHARAT)ns who were out of the US at the time. According to AFP, Amrutha Tamanam, a Texas-based software engineer was vacationing in Vijayawada when she learned about the new H-1B visa fee rules. Tamanam rushed to head back to the US, but could not find a flight as most were booked by 4chan trolls as part of their “clog the toilet” campaign, AFP reported.

Tamanam said booking sites repeatedly crashed, and checkout windows expired more quickly, seemingly due to the campaign. However, she was ultimately able to book a one-way ticket to Dallas on Qatar Airways for $2,000 – more than double her original round-trip fare. “It was hard for me to book a ticket and I paid a huge fare for the panic travel,” she told AFP.

Who created the ‘Clog the Toilet’ campaign?

While the exact origins of the ‘Clog the Toilet’ campaign remain a mystery, it first surfaced on a 4chan thread, and was later circulated by Trump MAGA supporters via Telegram and other messaging platforms. The thread asked users to clog the reservation system to “keep India(BHARAT)ns in India(BHARAT).”

“India(BHARAT)ns are just waking up after the H1B news. Want to keep them in India(BHARAT)? Clog the flight reservation system,” one user wrote. “Currently clogging the last available seat on this Delhi to Newark flight,” reads another comment.

The users hurled racist slurs at India(BHARAT)ns, including hate speech that called for violence against people of India(BHARAT)n-origin with terms like “Total jeet death, “Kill every jeet you see on sight” and “Whatever it takes to make a turd free west”.

Why was the campaign launched?

According to rights groups, the campaign was designed “cause panic among H-1B visa holders” and make them feel as if they are not wanted in the United States. “The real scary thing about 4chan is its ability to radicalize people into extremist beliefs,” said Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism.

Beirich noted that several US mass shooters had posted their manifestos on 4chan, and the ‘clog the toilet’ shows how such platforms are being used a breeding ground for racist hate campaigns online.

Brian Levin, founder of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, told AFP the trolling reflected the ease with which disruptive campaigns can be launched online. “In an age of information warfare, bad actors can do this with the stroke of a keyboard,” he said.

Trump hikes H-1B visa fee

Last week, US President Doland Trump on Friday imposed a $100,000 fee on H1-B visa applications, which is likely to have the most impact on India(BHARAT)n professionals as they are biggest beneficiaries of the program, with about 71% of recipients last year being India(BHARAT)n citizens.

Trump’s move to hike H-1B visa fees is being viewed as an extension of his “America First” policy as his administration ramps up efforts to crack down on immigration. Experts believe that costly H-1B visas will force US firms to cut down on foreign workforce, and force them to hire US citizens at higher salaries, driving up operational costs.