Bitter pill for India

THE Trump administration has declared that it is keen to work with India to address concerns related to irregular migration. ‘Irregular’, of course, is just a diplomatic euphemism for ‘illegal’. There is no dearth of desperate Indians who try to enter the US every year through the notorious donkey/dunki route or other underhand means. Some are able to sneak in, while the majority of them get caught; and then there are the unfortunate ones who don’t survive the ordeal, like the four-member Gujarati family that froze to death near the US-Canada border in 2022. Anticipating a deportation bloodbath, the Indian government is planning to take back about 18,000 citizens who are living illegally in the US. The actual number of such immigrants is probably far higher. According to the Pew Research Centre, an American think tank, there are around 725,000 undocumented Indian migrants in America — the third largest group after those from Mexico and El Salvador.

The government’s readiness to facilitate ‘Ghar Wapsi’ of these Indians is certainly not prompted by charitable intentions. Putting on a brave face, India is looking to deflect the embarrassment caused by its errant citizens. It’s a bitter pill that has to be swallowed. After all, Trump is a ‘dear friend’ of PM Modi, and bad blood is not good for bilateral relations. Taking it on the chin is the way forward, even as there is no guarantee that all those prodigal sons and daughters will not try their luck again in their eternal pursuit of the American Dream.

Beyond the immediate face-saver, India must work in close coordination with the US to curb illegal migration and create more avenues for aspirants within the legal framework. However, the irony is that the legal route itself has now become far less attractive to Indians, thanks to Trump’s order blocking birthright citizenship. But all is not lost as the controversial move has triggered a huge backlash across America.