So, immigration is back at the top of our minds.
The Mumbai police say that the man who attacked Saif Ali Khan was not a local but had sneaked into the city from Bangladesh.
And anyone watching Donald Trump’s speech at his inauguration could not fail to conclude that, according to the new President, immigration is the biggest problem facing America.
Till recently most Indians could not afford to be anti-immigrant. After all, Indians are among the biggest beneficiaries of immigration policies, especially those formulated by the West.
Take the example of my own family. Most of my relatives live in America and they have all done very well for themselves. It was only possible for them to make new lives in America because the US accepted (in limited numbers) intelligent and well qualified people from all over the world.
And indeed, the families of many of the people Indians are proud of are immigrants to the US: Sundar Pichai, Ajay Banga, Vinod Khosla, Satya Nadella and perhaps even Vivek Ramaswamy. And that’s not including those who have made it in other countries, people like Rishi Sunak.
In his speech, Trump drew a distinction between legal immigrants (like all of those mentioned above) and illegal immigrants. The reason he wanted to declare a national emergency on America’s southern border was not because of well qualified legal immigrants but because of those who tried to enter the US illegally.
We told ourselves, as we listened to him, that he was talking about Mexicans. But that’s not entirely correct. In recent years US authorities have caught thousands of Indians trying to enter the United States illegally using the Southern route. One estimate has it that 10 Indians try and enter the US illegally every hour. Apparently, 5 out of those 10 are Gujaratis, a source of constant embarrassment to Gujaratis like myself who are justly proud of how well legal Gujarati immigrants (like my family) have done in the US.
So let’s not kid ourselves that Trump’s policies will not apply to Indians. In fact, thousands of illegal Indian immigrants will be sent back to our country. According to some reports we are already reconciled to accepting a first instalment of 1800 deportees.
Which brings us to the issue of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. In the aftermath of the attack on Saif, the Shiv Sena has echoed the fears first raised by Bal Thackeray that illegal Bangladeshi immigrants pose a threat to Mumbai. The politicians may deny it but there is little doubt that this is fast becoming the conventional wisdom in the rest of India as well. We can argue about legal immigration. But, goes the general refrain, we cannot afford to be indifferent to illegal immigration from such countries as Bangladesh.
In some strange way, Indians echo the sentiments of Donald Trump and his supporters when it comes to our own country. In the case of the Bangladeshis who have entered India illegally, it does not help their case that there is so much anti-India feeling in Bangladesh at present or that Hindus are being targeted there.
Anti-immigration feeling in India has yet to reach the levels it has in the US. But it certainly has the potential to become a major national issue in the years ahead.
"Indians have every right to try and make new lives for themselves in the US, provided that the US wants them." |
Of more immediate concern to me is how we should respond to issues concerning Indian immigrants in the west. Till now, we have strongly identified India’s interests with those of immigrants and would-be immigrants. When we enter into trade negotiations, we regard the rights of Indians to stay or study in foreign countries as something that benefits India. And we treat it as a priority in negotiations.
Is this really in our interests? And why should we believe it is? I think the time has come to ask those questions.
Let’s first take the issue of H-1 B visas that are under threat in the Trump regime. These are visas that many qualified Indian professionals have used to go and make new lives in the US. Despite the current attention being paid to illegal immigration, the H-1 B issue is a hot one, made even hotter in the US by social media campaigns from the Trump faithful who argue that too many Indians are entering the US using such visas. Even Elon Musk, Trump‘s chief cheerleader, who once argued strongly for H-1 B visas is now less vocal about his support.
My view on this is simple enough. Indians have every right to try and make new lives for themselves in the US, provided that the US wants them. Perhaps America will be making a mistake if it does not take advantage of the skills of these Indians by denying them H-1B visas. Or perhaps it is the right decision given the strength of domestic sentiment.
Either way, what does it have to do with the Indian government? Or even with you and me? This is a matter between Indian applicants for these visas and the US government. There is no earthly reason for our government to get involved. Indians have no God given right to either emigrate to the US or to expect our officials to fight for their foreign residencies.
In fact, as a general rule, we should wash our hands off immigration issues. Why should an India-UK trade deal hang fire because we want more visas for Indian students? Why should we ask for more H-1 B visas in return for accepting deportees? Is India such a pathetic country that our government fights for the right of Indians to abandon it?
Every negotiation involves give and take. So why should Indian negotiators make concessions on behalf of you and me for visas for people who want to go to foreign countries? Shouldn’t they ask for trade benefits or something that benefits those of us who want to stay on in our country?
If the Trump administration does manage to round up Indians who have entered the USA illegally and sends them back to India, we should recognise the US’s right to do this. The people likely to be deported by the Trump administration knew they were breaking US laws. They deserve no sympathy and it would be foolish for us to get involved on their behalf.
This may also be a good time for us to take a long hard look at the Indian Diaspora. It is now more than clear that people of Indian origin who hold positions of influence in western countries (such as, say, Suella Braverman or Priti Patel or even Kamala Harris) make every effort to demonstrate that they put the interests of the country they now live in way ahead of India’s interests. This is only fair and it is certainly the right thing for them to do.
So why should India take the line that it is our job to stand up for the Diaspora or for people who want to emigrate and become part of that Diaspora?
I don’t agree with Donald Trump on many things. But the people who elected him have the right to decide how their country will be run. And if that involves denying residency rights to some Indians and deporting illegal immigrants, well then, that’s their business.
India must look after its own interests and the interests of its resident citizens, not the interests of people who want to leave our country and become residents of foreign countries.
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