C-sections, quitting part-time jobs: How Indians are fighting to defeat Trump’s citizenship order
The Trump administration has officially taken up the matter of deporting around 18,000 Indians with India. New Delhi will check the documents of these people. According to media reports, if they are found to be Indian citizens, they will be accepted back.
On the third day of his term, Donald Trump signed an executive order that suspends the physical entry of foreigners ‘who have invaded the United States through the southern border’
President Donald Trump faced the first hurdle in his plan to revive the “Golden Age of America” when a federal judge blocked his administration from implementing an executive order that ends the right to automatic birthright citizenship in the United States, calling it “plainly unconstitutional”. The move would have denied citizenship to more than 150,000 newborns annually. Trump, 78, has said his administration will appeal the decision. “Obviously we will appeal against it,” he said. Around 18,000 Indians living illegally in the US are facing deportation.
A growing number of Indian couples are seeking US citizenship for their children ahead of the February 20 birthright citizenship deadline. According to reports, women are opting for C-sections in the eighth or ninth month of pregnancy, while many others are taking the same route in the second or early third trimester.
Trump 2.0 has set off alarm bells among many Indian students who are at risk of deportation. These students – who do odd jobs after college hours to earn some extra money – have reportedly quit their jobs fearing deportation. Some of them said these jobs are crucial to manage their expenses in the US.
Arjun (name changed), a graduate student at a university in Illinois, told the Times of India, “I used to work at a small cafe after college hours to meet my monthly expenses. I used to earn $7 per hour and work six hours every day.” “Though it was a comfortable arrangement, I quit the job last week when I heard that immigration officials may crack down on unauthorised work. I cannot take any risks, especially when I have borrowed $50,000 (around Rs 42.5 lakh) to study here,” he added. Another student pursuing a master’s degree expressed similar concerns. “We have heard talk about random checks at workplaces. So, my friends and I have decided to stop working for now.
It is tough, but we don’t want to risk deportation or losing our student visa status. My parents have already sacrificed a lot to send me here,” Neha (name changed) told TOI. Trump is committed to closing the US southern border to immigrants and increasing deportations. On the third day of his term, the Republican leader signed an executive order that “suspends the physical entry of aliens who have invaded the United States through the southern border.” The order directs the Homeland Security, Justice and State departments to “take all necessary actions to immediately repel, deport, and remove illegal aliens who cross the southern border of the United States.” However, the details of how Trump will stop migrants attempting to cross the border are still unclear.
India ready for ‘lawful return’ of citizens living ‘illegally’ abroad
Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar clarified India’s stand, saying that India is ready for the “lawful return” of Indian citizens living ‘illegally’ abroad, including in the United States, days after Donald Trump, who, among other things, rose to power by promising to deport illegal immigrants from the US, was sworn in as the 47th president. Around 18,000 Indians living illegally in the US are facing deportation. Jaishankar confirmed that India’s position on the issue has been “consistent” and “principled” and he has conveyed this clearly to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “Our position has always been that if there are any of our citizens who are not here legally, if we are sure that they are our citizens, we are always ready for their lawful return to India. So this is not only the US position,” Jaishankar said at a press conference in Washington DC on Wednesday (local time). Sources said India will verify the documents shared by the Trump administration and those found to be Indian citizens will be accepted back.