‘Miami not Mumbai’: Hotel under fire for reportedly hiring virtual Indian receptionist; US netizens say ‘hire Americans’

A hotel in Miami is under fire for allegedly hiring an Indian to be a receptionist and to check in guests virtually. The video, which is now going viral on social media, has sparked backlash, fueling concerns over job outsourcing amid heightened anti-immigrant sentiment.Originally posted by Pete Langs (@languageguy1) on TikTok and Instagram, the video shows him checking into a hotel room with assistance from a man appearing on a screen rather than physically present at the front desk.The virtual front desk employee asks Langs, “Do you need one room key or two room keys?” to which he replies, “Two, just in case I lose one.” The receptionist, speaking via video call, then proceeds to provide check-in instructions and generates the registration form.While the video does not confirm the front desk employee’s nationality or location, many viewers assumed that he is from the Indian subcontinent and possibly working remotely from outside the United States.“@GovRonDeSantis This is Miami! Pass a law banning this. Outsourcing hotel check in to India?!” commented a user tagging Ronald Dion DeSantis, the governor of Florida. “This is Miami, not Mumbai hire Americans first,” said another user. “Everything is outsourced to India now. This will be the next big immigration crisis,” commented a user. “This is almost comical at this point. India needs to be paying Americans to have to deal with them,” another comment read. “Boycott La Quinta. They’re taking way jobs from Americans!!” another user commented. Public opinion on immigration in the US is highly charged, with at least 8 Indians being sent back every day this year under the Trump administration between January 2020 to December 2024.As per data released by the Ministry of External Affairs, 7,244 Indians were deported for various reasons between January 2020 and July 2025. Nearly a quarter of those, 1,703 individuals, were deported after Donald Trump began his second term in office.