A businessman from Texas has come forward with allegations of being expelled from his church following a viral tweet that expressed a desire for his children to grow up in America, not India. Daniel Keene stated that his post, which targeted H-1B visas, triggered significant backlash, including death threats and negative impacts on his business.
Keene shared on X (formerly Twitter) a video of a neighborhood celebration, accompanied by the message: “We have to cancel the H-1Bs. I want my kids to grow up in America. Not India.” The tweet, posted on September 6, quickly drew widespread criticism, prompting Keene to delete it.
In subsequent posts, Keene detailed his experience, claiming that church elders subjected him to hours of questioning regarding his tweet. He further alleged that they declined to consider character references from his Indian friends and disregarded his anti-racism posts. According to Keene, a meeting with seven elders on September 24 concluded with him being asked to leave the church, though he noted he was not formally removed from the church’s management system.
In response to Keene’s claims, a spokesperson for the church stated that political opinions were never the focus of disagreement during their meetings. The spokesperson emphasized that discussions centered on the Christian mandate to “love our neighbors.” The church elders reportedly asked the Keenes to consider if they could “joyfully continue as members of the church.”
In addition to the church matter, Keene reported that his gym membership was also canceled. The gym owner cited that the cancellation was due to Keene negatively singling out a cultural group, rather than his political stance.