Overview

• Following President Trump's $100,000 H‑1B fee announcement, Indian workers rushed to return to the United States, tightening demand on India–US routes.
• Anonymous posters on 4chan launched “Operation Clog the Toilet,” initiating flight checkouts and leaving them open to hold seats for about 15 minutes.
• Reports tied the tactic to temporary seat unavailability and short-lived airfare spikes, with New Delhi–New York fares doubling from roughly ₹40,000 to ₹80,000.
• Forum messages featured racist slurs and boasts such as “I got 100 seats locked,” and posts urged using multiple tabs or scripts to scale the effort.
• The White House later said the fee applies only to new visas, easing immediate pressure on existing H‑1B holders and travelers.