US immigration bar: Indian parents visiting children sent back from airport

According to a report by Mirchi9, Indian parents visiting their children in the US were denied entry at Newark Airport for not having return tickets.

The anxiety surrounding H1B visas and other temporary work permits under Donald Trump’s presidency was already a significant concern for many. Now, it is compounded by a silent insistence — with no prior advertisement — of new rules mandating that a return ticket should be already purchased at the time of visiting.

The Trump administration’s tough stance on immigration, including attempts to limit or modify programmes like the H1-B, has left many in the immigrant community feeling uncertain about their futures.

Policies that targeted legal immigration in addition to illegal immigration have increased the pressure, especially on skilled workers who have moved to the US on temporary visas.

As for the couple sent back, who were arriving for a five-month stay, it was frustrating and alarming to land and then be forced to ship back despite pleas of no official announcement and explanations.

But then there are those being extradited for overstaying their welcome... not less than 18,000, per a recent Bloomberg report — whom India has declared it will take back provided nationality is verified.

What has unsettled many observers has been the haste with which India has preempted even the profferment of an official list this time.

Even in 2017, under the earlier Trump dispensation, when Sushma Swaraj was serving as external affairs minister, she had waited for India to receive a list of 217 identified illegals and said she would make arrangements for their deportment only once India had independently verified the US claims.

The eagerness to resolve things quickly, especially in the context of Trump’s recently announced amendment to the birthright citizenship rules (though stayed) and his threatening of high tariffs, might be justifiably read as kowtowing by those critical of the government.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was categorical at a press briefing on Friday, 24 January, that New Delhi remained vehemently against illegal immigration — ‘because it is linked to several forms of organised crime’. Given the existing Pannun and Nijjar issues already, it is understandable that the Modi government would prefer to be cautious about upsetting any more apple carts.

"For Indians not just in the United States, but anywhere in the world, if they are Indian nationals and they are overstaying, or they are in a particular country without proper documentation, we will take them back provided documents are shared with us so that we can verify their nationality and that they are indeed Indians," Jaiswal said.

As for family members now travelling overseas on a B1/B2 visa to visit relatives in the US, it will be important to stay updated on new rules or consult with immigration experts to avoid issues at the border.

After all, no point in becoming the latest statistic to boost the "the largest massive deportation operation in history", per White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.