Marco Rubio Responds to India’s Concerns About Trump’s Immigration Changes: ‘Could Include Friction Points’ | Today’s news
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, during a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday, expressed India’s concern over the Trump administration’s revised visa and immigration policy and stressed that legal mobility should not be adversely affected by the new measures, PTI reported.
Rubio acknowledged that the transition could include “some bumps” and “frictional spots” as the US works to reform its immigration system, but said a more streamlined framework would benefit all parties involved.
Prior to Rubio’s arrival in India, US Citizenship and Immigration Services issued a directive requiring foreigners seeking a green card or permanent residency to return to their home countries to apply. The agency later softened its stance, but the overall move is still likely to significantly affect a large segment of Indian professionals, PTI reported.
Here’s what EAM had to say
Jaishankar and Rubio spoke at a press conference after the two leaders held wide-ranging talks aimed at restoring relations that have come under severe strain over the past year, largely due to Washington’s trade and tariff policies.
“People-to-people ties are at the heart of the (India-US) relationship. I briefed Secretary Rubio on the challenges that legitimate travelers face in visa issuance,” the External Affairs Minister said.
Read also | ‘Strategic allies’: Rubio’s message to India as Jaishankar raises visa issues
“While we work together to address illegal and illegal mobility, we expect that legal mobility will not be adversely affected as a result. This is, after all, very important for our cooperation in trade, technology and research,” he said.
The US H-1B visa policy has affected a significant number of Indians. Concerns have also been raised about new US green card rules that require applicants to file their applications from their home countries.
What did Rubio say?
Responding to a question about alleged cases of Indians facing racism in the US, Rubio appeared to dismiss the allegations.
“I’m going to take the comments very seriously. I’m sure there are people who have commented online and in other places because every country in the world has stupid people. I’m sure there are stupid people here; there are stupid people in the United States who make stupid comments all the time,” he said.
The US Secretary of State added: “Our nation has been enriched by people who have come to our country from all over the world, become Americans, assimilated into our way of life and contributed greatly.
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When asked about the changes to the green card standards, Rubio said it was part of an overall approach to reform the existing system.
“We’ve had a migration crisis in the United States. It’s not because of India, but in general we’ve had over 20 million people come into the United States illegally over the last few years, and we’ve had to address that challenge,” he said.
“The United States is the most welcoming country in the world when it comes to immigration,” he said.
The foreign minister said that the current process of reforming the existing system is not India-centric at all.
“Anytime you make a reform, any time you make a change in the system by which you admit people, there’s going to be a period of transition that’s going to create some friction points and some difficulties,” he said.
“It’s not an India-centric system; it’s a system that’s being applied globally. But we’re in a transition period, and like any transition period, there will be some bumps in the road.”
“We think our destination will ultimately be a better system, a more efficient system that works better than what we had before and more sustainable by the way,” he said.
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To a separate question, Jaishankar said that while the United States has been very sincere in promoting its foreign policy outlook as “America First”, India has an “India First” approach.
“So obviously we are both driven by our respective national interests,” he said.
Marco Rubio’s visit to India comes just over five weeks after Vikram Misri completed a three-day trip to Washington, DC aimed at easing tensions and strengthening bilateral ties after a period of uncertainty.
Ties between the two nations have soured significantly after Washington imposed stiff tariffs on India, while Donald Trump sparked controversy by claiming he helped defuse a military standoff between India and Pakistan in May.
Over the next few months, the US president repeatedly and publicly claimed that he had resolved the military conflict between the two neighbors and saved millions of lives as he moved toward all-out war.
Read also | PM Modi, Marco Rubio hold ‘productive’ talks
New Delhi has strongly maintained that the cessation of hostilities was the result of talks between India and Pakistan and that US involvement had nothing to do with it.
Washington’s new immigration policy and its decision to increase the H1B visa fee also contributed to the decline in Indo-US relations.
However, both sides have made efforts to mend ties in recent months.
The two sides soon decided to cement a mutually beneficial trade agreement.
(With input from agencies)
