Texas Republican Bo French criticised over post on Indian students

The brief

Context

Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner and former chairman of the Tarrant County Republican Party, posted a photograph on X of South Asian and Indian-American University of Texas at Austin students cheering a football win over Ohio State, framing them as "foreigners" who had displaced Americans. Many of the students are Texas-born US citizens. The post drew condemnation from senior Republicans, Democratic lawmakers and Indian-American advocacy groups, and revived scrutiny of French's record of anti-immigrant, Islamophobic and racist statements. The Railroad Commission of Texas, the seat he is contesting, regulates the state's oil and gas industry, pipeline safety, natural gas utilities and surface mining.

Key facts

• French posted the photograph on X on a Sunday, captioning it as showing "how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners"; the story was first published on Sep 14, 2026.
• In a follow-up post he 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."
• Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), a four-term senator and co-chair of the Senate India Caucus, said: "This is how great political parties self-destruct. Sad."
• Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows said the post "crossed the line"; State Rep. Jared Patterson called it "racist"; State Rep. Lacey Hull asked French to delete it.
• French refused to apologise, calling Cornyn a "Republican in name only" and an "America Last loser".
• At CPAC in Grapevine, Texas, in March 2026, French called for deporting 100 million people — nearly one-third of the US population — against an estimated 11 to 14 million unauthorised immigrants.
• On a CPAC panel titled "Don't Sharia My Texas", French said: "we call it Sharia [law], but the problem is actually Islam."
• Texas has over 1.9 million Asian Americans, including more than 450,000 Indian Americans, concentrated in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Austin.

Timeline

1. During his tenure as Tarrant County GOP chairmanFrench posted a since-deleted poll asking whether Jews or Muslims were a "bigger threat to America"; Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick demanded he resign.
2. Earlier (undated)French described Native Americans on social media as "third world savages" and suggested they be deported, drawing severe backlash.
3. March 2026 (CPAC, Grapevine, Texas)On the "Don't Sharia My Texas" panel he backed deporting 100 million people and made Islamophobic remarks; photographed at CPAC USA 2026 on March 27, 2026.
4. Earlier in 2026French defeated incumbent Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright in a low-turnout Republican primary runoff, backed by PACs of oil magnates Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks.
5. Sunday before Sep 14, 2026French posted the photo of UT Austin students celebrating a win over Ohio State, calling them evidence of Americans "displaced by foreigners".
6. Sep 14, 2026Report published detailing bipartisan condemnation and French's refusal to apologise.

Who has a stake

• Bo French — Fort Worth businessman and GOP nominee for Railroad Commissioner; his general-election prospects and party standing are at stake.
• South Asian and Indian-American students at UT Austin — Targeted by racial profiling despite many being Texas-born US citizens; their safety and belonging are in question.
• Senator John Cornyn and Texas Republican lawmakers — Burrows, Hull and Patterson publicly rebuked French; establishment Republicans fear normalised racism will destroy the party.
• Indian American Advocacy Council and Hindu American Foundation — Condemned the post as racism and warned anti-Indian and anti-Hindu hatred is at an "all-time high".
• Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) — Said South Asian Americans "are as American as anyone" and denounced demonisation based on appearance.
• Jon Rosenthal, Democratic opponent — Calls French a "chaos candidate" whose views could destabilise Texas's energy sector, business climate and international ties.
• Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks — Far-right oil magnates whose PACs funded French's insurgent primary win over incumbent Jim Wright.

Why it matters

The episode shows how anti-immigrant rhetoric in US politics is increasingly aimed at Indian-American and South Asian citizens, not just undocumented migrants, in a state with more than 450,000 Indian Americans. Because the Railroad Commission of Texas regulates one of the world's most significant oil and gas industries, the outcome also bears on energy governance and Texas's international business relationships. The bipartisan pushback, and French's refusal to retract, reveal a contest over the boundaries of acceptable political speech within the Texas Republican Party.