Overview
- Carlos Turcios posted a video on X calling the Shri Ashtalakshmi Temple’s Hanuman statue evidence of a “Third World” takeover and urged followers to “stop the invasion.”
- The statue, known as the Panchaloha Abhaya Hanuman, stands 90 feet tall in Sugar Land and was unveiled in August 2024 as one of North America’s tallest Hanuman monuments.
- Indian-American community members and other users condemned the remarks as xenophobic, emphasizing the installation sits on private property and was financed by devotees.
- Temple supporters noted the site welcomes visitors of all backgrounds and framed the monument as a reflection of Hindu Americans’ religious identity rather than political messaging.
- Coverage highlights a pattern in Turcios’s posts criticizing immigrants and H‑1B workers and recalls a 2025 attack on the statue by Alexander Duncan, situating the dispute in a broader national debate over immigration and pluralism.