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RiftTV CEO Elijah Schaffer rips SC ruling on birthright citizenship, targets H-1B children, ‘Little Pooja, little Panji’
Elijah Schaffer challenges the meaning of American identity, arguing that citizenship should extend beyond birth in the U.S.
Following the recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding President Donald Trump’s attempt to limit birthright citizenship, political discussions have persisted on social media platforms. One of the critics of this decision is conservative commentator and RiftTV CEO Elijah Schaffer, who shared a video filmed outside a Hindu temple in Frisco, Texas, contending that the ruling diminishes the significance of American citizenship.
In his post on X, Schaffer stated: “See all these children of H1B visa holders behind me? They’re ‘just as American as you/me.’ Their parents aren’t even American citizens. But the traitors in the courts sealed the fate of this nation. Being American means nothing, it’s just magic soil now.”
In the video, Schaffer gestures towards the children outside the temple and states, "You see all these children behind me, primarily of H-1B visa holders here in Frisco, Texas. Well, they were just born here to parents on temporary visas, and the federal Supreme Court just decided today… every single one of these kids here are just as American as you and me who have been here for hundreds of years.”
Schaffer questions true American identity amid birthright citizenship debate
He continues to challenge the notion of what constitutes American identity, asserting that citizenship should encompass more than mere birth within the United States.
“If your parent may not be an American, they may be here on a temporary visa, maybe they’re here on a green card, perhaps they’re just a resident, and we don’t really know. But then if you have children here, your children are now decidedly citizens,” Schaffer remarked. “It sort of just begs the question, this Fourth of July, what are we celebrating?”
He went on to say that “an American identity requires no blood, sweat, finances, tears, or history, you just have to be born on magic soil, then the identity of what an American is really no longer exists.”
He also cites the dissenting justices of the Supreme Court, stating that there were three justices who dissented. "You had Alito, you had Gorsuch, and one other that basically said birthright citizenship does not mean that you are here temporarily and your kids are now American. It means if your parents were American, you can then inherit that American identity while being born here.”
Schaffer then redirects his attention to immigration policy, contending that birthright citizenship complicates the efforts to manage H-1B visas and Temporary Protected Status. “How do you solve the H-1B issue? How do you solve the TPS issue? If all of the kids are citizens, then, theoretically, the Supreme Court probably will let the parents stay as well. What, are we going to separate families? You saw how that went under the first Trump administration. People don’t like family separation,” he said
‘Little Panji, little Pooja, little Pandir,’ Schaffer attacks Indian-American population
Near the conclusion of the video, Schaffer delivers a number of contentious statements, using stereotypical names to refer to children of Indian descent and drawing comparisons with families that have resided in the United States for generations..
“Little Panji, little Pooja, little Pandir, and all these other individuals are now red-blooded American patriots like your family in Appalachia or the rest of us here deep in Texas. And I don’t know how I feel about that, but I’m kind of… depressed about it, honestly, because it’s… Everybody knows that it’s…” he said.
Schaffer concludes his remarks by condemning what he refers to as "suicidal empathy," stating, “I’m afraid there may be no fixing the future when we have a Supreme Court that rules like this.”
His video has garnered significant online attention for linking the Supreme Court's decision on birthright citizenship to wider discussions regarding immigration and American identity, particularly highlighting the children of H-1B visa holders near a Hindu temple.
Elijah Schaffer's remarks stir row
Meanwhile, several people reacted to Schaffer's video, which has drawn over 123.5K views.
While several Americans expressed their support to Schaffer, others blasted him for “spewing hate” against legal immigrants, especially Indian-Americans.
“Why are u getting worked up on irrelevant things to our success - of America and Americans. They are all contributing to our success,” one person said.
“That’s exactly how white people came to USA,” another wrote.
“Just like @realDonaldTrump, you are an absolute frustrated soul. Average income on Indian American is 40% more than average income of people like you. Secondly, @MELANIATRUMP @FLOTUS is also an immigrant. But you don't have a problem about her!? Is it because she is white colored like you?”
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