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Frisco Councilman Burt Thakur denies H-1B donor allegations
Thakur, a U.S. Navy veteran, further added that he would be open to scrutiny if wrongdoing exists.
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Rwittika Chakraborty
- Wed, 28, Jan 2026
- 02:57 EST
- 14
Frisco Councilman Burt Thakur / (Image - Burt Thakur for congress/website)
Frisco’s first-ever Indian-American on the City Council, Burt Thakur, has denied the allegations against him of immigration fraud and/or demographic manipulation during a City Council meeting on Jan. 20, which went viral.
During the City Council meeting, resident and activist Marc Palasciano alleged abuse of the H-1B visa program and suggested the demographic shifts in Frisco are due to organized manipulation.
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Videos from the meeting were widely circulated online, where Palasciano questioned the mayor and council members about why they have donors with Indian surnames who do not reside in Frisco.
I asked the Frisco Mayor and Frisco's First Indian City Council Member about their Indian Donors.
— Marc Palasciano (@marc_palasciano) January 21, 2026
There's A LOT of H-1B companies registered to their donors.
Every Texan should want answers to these questions because this impacts all of us.
YouTube Link in Reply https://t.co/bSfRToo0bW pic.twitter.com/BAlgiC53un
Palasciano further went on to ask why several Indians with their addresses elsewhere donated to their campaigns without possibly receiving something in return.
Following Palasciano’s remarks, Thakur has broken his silence on the allegations in a telephone interview with The Dallas Express, mentioning that he has no authority over federal immigration policy or visa enforcement.
He also rejected the implications that local officials are orchestrating demographic change.
Thakur, a U.S. Navy veteran, further added that he would be open to scrutiny if wrongdoing exists, mentioning that he would welcome any federal agency doing an audit.
According to the USCIS database, the Frisco council does not directly employ any H-1B workers.
While addressing the comments on Indian donors, Thakur said he was proud of his donors and asserted that donations do not showcase control or influence in the administration.
He mentioned that it is offensive to imply that the presence of Indian residents is a problem, and asked to be informed of what percentage of the population is allowed to be Indian.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
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