Deported and Detained: India's balancing act on illegal immigration & US relations

A day after 100 deported Indians landed in Amritsar from the US after being detained for illegal entry into that country, S Jaishankar told Parliament on Thursday that such a step is 'not new' and 'not a policy applicable to only one country'. The minister added that GoI is engaging with the US to ensure that deported Indian citizens are not 'mistreated' and that the focus should be on cracking down on illegal migration. New Delhi's acceptance of deportation of 'illegals' to the US - unlike, say, Colombia and some other countries - is correct.

Nearly 16,000 'illegals' from India have been deported since 2009. Pew Research Center estimates that nearly 7,25,000 Indians reside illegally in the US. India acknowledges the problem of illegal immigration, particularly its links to organised crime, including human trafficking. While images of deportees in restraints boarding a deportation US military aircraft have understandably led the Opposition to question why New Delhi didn't send a plane to bring back its citizens, one must recognise that these images are 'comforting' proof for Donald Trump's MAGA base of his 'anti-immigration' stance. Recognition, however, does not translate to lack of discomfort.

For India, the priority is to avoid any backlash against legal immigration. There are 3,51,000 Indians on student visas in the US. 72% of the 4 lakh H-1B visas issued were to Indians. Much is at stake on a people-to-people level between the two countries. While negotiating for humane repatriation, New Delhi must impress upon the US the salience of reciprocity. For allies - especially cooperating allies - support and problem-solving must work both ways. And the optics matter for India, too. Something Trump should understand better than anyone else.