Two University of Texas students pictured by Republican statewide candidate Bo French as he complained that "Americans have been displaced by foreigners" are U.S. citizens, the students told NBC News, challenging the premise of posts that have drawn criticism from prominent members of French's own party.
Dhairya Gupta and Rahul Kodali, both computer science seniors, were shown celebrating the Longhorns' 24-23 comeback victory over Ohio State in a photo French posted Sunday. Gupta was born in India and moved to the U.S. at age 5, while Kodali was born in Syracuse, New York, and grew up in the Dallas suburb of Flower Mound.
French, the Republican nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission, initially shared the image while writing, "I heard UT graduation this year looked like this." He later reposted it as an example of his claim that "Americans have been displaced by foreigners."
"It dawned on me, this is a person who is potentially in a position of power," Kodali told NBC. "Whenever a person in a position of power is saying this, it makes it seem like it's OK to say."
The students' comments came as Republican criticism of French widened. Sen. Ted Cruz called the original post "idiotic," telling NBC, "I wish he hadn't sent it," and adding that he was "celebrating every student" at the university.
French has refused to retract his remarks. He said Monday that he had nothing against the individuals pictured but argued that universities should prioritize Americans over foreigners. He also dismissed criticism from fellow Republicans as coming from less-conservative members of the party.
Sen. John Cornyn called French's comments "bigotry," while Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows said the post had "crossed the line." State Rep. Drew Darby called it "racism, plain and simple."
French has argued that the university is "filled with foreign nationals." International students, however, accounted for about 4% of UT undergraduates in the 2025-26 academic year, while state law requires 90% of incoming freshmen to be Texas residents.
Kodali said the controversy had not changed how he identifies.
"I would definitely consider myself a Texan," he told NBC. "I know I'm Texas, like born and bred — almost."
