Modi finally talks tough on illegal Indians in the US — to touts, not Trump

At a joint press conference with US President Donald Trump in Washington, Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally spoke up about the fracas around the illegal Indians being deported from the US.

While Opposition parties and human rights watchdogs have been clamouring for Modi to bring up with Trump the shackles and shaming, the display of military might of US defence personnel and aircraft ‘escorting’ them on to Indian soil — and a second batch of 119 citizens expected to land in Amritsar this weekend — the prime minister seems to have been more than eager to concede that any illegals would be taken back.

The terms on which they are shipped out or how they arrive don’t seem to matter much to his government.

So, for all Trump’s declaration (and here we question in a whisper: was it mocking?) that Modi is a tougher negotiator than him, the Indian prime minister certainly said nothing about a deal for a more humane attitude to deported Indians — something tiny Colombia at least immediately fought on, before crumbling under Trump’s tariff burden.

But perhaps that is what makes Modi such a great negotiator of deals — not betting against a surefire bully? For in tariffs may lie the real crux of the matter.

So, instead, in response to a question from PTI, the prime minister announced his government’s intention to hold accountable the smaller fry, emphasising the importance of combating the entire ‘ecosystem’ of human trafficking, which deceives individuals — from ‘ordinary families’ — by offering them false hopes and promises, ultimately leading to their illegal immigration to other countries.

Highlighting human trafficking as a global issue, Modi said, "We are of the opinion that anybody who enters and lives in another country illegally, they have absolutely no legal right or authority to live in that country."

Modi reiterated too that India is ready to take back verified Indian citizens who are living in the US illegally.

As for what percentage of these illegal immigrants were actual trafficked into the US vs having overstayed a once-legitimate visa, the figures were neither asked for nor brought up... far less a solution to such situations.

Earlier in the month, the Business Standard had pointed out the difficulty of finding such figures, reporting: ‘The US is said to have identified about 18,000 Indian nationals it believes entered illegally. However, the number of undocumented Indian immigrants in the US is disputed.

Data from the Pew Research Center estimates 725,000 people as of 2022, making Indians the third-largest group after Mexico and El Salvador. In contrast, the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) puts the figure at 375,000, ranking India fifth among origin countries.’ 

None of which, of course, makes any difference to the humiliation accorded to the set send back — status and rationale and route there irrespective.

As for questioning why these many Indians are regularly enduring terrifying conditions to be 'donkey-traded' overseas — is it unemployment or other conditions such as religious persecution, gender inequality, casteism, etc — we are betting few media persons will ask those questions back home, far less abroad.