What India said about Delhi-Washington relations in the changing situation
Last Updated on January 26, 2025 7:04 am
On the first day of taking office, Donald Trump has signed several executive orders to bring significant changes in immigration policy. This is making the path to obtaining US citizenship more difficult. At the same time, the Trump administration has also threatened to impose additional tariffs. New Delhi believes that neither this illegal immigration nor the imposition of additional tariffs will deteriorate India’s relations with the US.
Indian External Affairs Minister’s spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said this on Friday. He said that trade relations with the US and illegal immigration – these two issues should not be viewed from the same perspective.
Jaiswal said, ‘I have said this before, India is against illegal immigration. Especially when they are associated with various types of organized crime. Not only in America, but anywhere else in the world, if there are Indian citizens who have expired visas in that country or do not have proper documents, we will bring them back. But we will have to provide the entire matter and the necessary documents to verify their citizenship.’
Some of President Trump’s actions will have an impact on India. Analysts believe that there will be a negative impact on expatriate income and students seeking to study in the US may face further scrutiny. At the same time, will the return of illegal immigrants and their plans to deport them affect India’s trade and industrial relations? Jaiswal gave a tactful answer.
The spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said, “Illegal immigration and trade are two separate issues. Our view, policy and position on illegal immigration are very clear. In the context of trade, it must be said that India and the US have a multi-level and multi-faceted economic relationship. Bilateral trade reached a record high in 2023. We have many mechanisms through which the two countries continue to talk about issues like trade tariffs.”
He also said, “There is no lack of mutual trust between the two countries. After meeting the officials of that country, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India and the US will become more bold on the issue of bilateral trade in the coming days.”