‘They were Indian, so we didn’t count them’: US cleaning business owner faces scrutiny over racial profiling

North Carolina cleaning business owner faces scrutiny after saying his team did not count Indian callers as potential leads/Image: Getty Images

A North Carolina cleaning business owner has come under scrutiny after saying he instructed his team not to count Indian callers as potential customers, raising concerns about possible discrimination based on ethnicity.Robert Nolen wrote on X that he teaches his staff to “profile every client” and said:“They were Indian so we didn’t count them as a lead.”He also said his team had separated Indian callers and discussed changing prices to discourage them from using the business. In another post, he wrote: “We don’t want your business.”The Indian American Advocacy Council (IAAC) is reviewing Nolen’s public statements and seeking accounts from Indian customers, applicants, workers and contractors who believe they were treated differently because of their ethnicity or national origin.IAAC said the statements could raise legal concerns if they describe the way Nolen’s business actually treats customers. The group also cited Charlotte rules that prohibit businesses from indicating that services will be denied or that customers are unwelcome because of national origin or ethnicity.