External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has said that the government is not yet ready to accept the United States’ version on a list of 271 Indians living, who have been identified by the Trump administration as ‘illegal immigrants’ living in the US.
Swaraj said that the US has given a list of 271 people claiming they were illegal migrants from India, but the government has not accepted it and would allow their deportation only after proper verification.
Yesterday, Sushma Swaraj had said in Parliament, “We have not accepted this list and have sought more details. We have said that it is only after we verify the details, can we issue an emergency certificate for their deportation.”
Meanwhile, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said, “This is an ongoing matter. The US authorities had conveyed to us sometime back that out of certain statistics provided to us earlier, 271 cases remained to be addressed. However, no details of these cases were provided. We have asked for the same.”
The Donald Trump administration has given a list of 271 people, claiming they were illegal migrants from India.
Asked about the killing of an Indian woman and her seven-year-old son in the US last night, Baglay said India is in touch with the US authorities who are trying to ascertain details of the “very unfortunate incident”.
He also said the Indian consulate was ready to extend all possible help to the family.
On Thursday, Sushma Swaraj had said that there was no reason to worry about the curbs on visas or the job security of Indian IT professionals for the time being as the Indian government is in talks with the Trump administration to resolve the issue.
Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said four bills have come to the US Congress regarding H1-B and L1 visas for professionals, but they have not been passed.
Swaraj added that the government was in talks with the US at the highest level to ensure that the interests of Indian people or the IT industry are not affected.
She further added that the Indian government is making attempts so that the four bills regarding H1-B and L1 visas are not passed in such a form.
“The foreign secretary had met US Congress members who had been all praise for Indians. So there is no reason to worry about it as of now,” said Sushma Swaraj.
“We are conveying to them that IT professionals are not stealing jobs but contributing to the US economy and making it stronger,” she added.
Answering questions raised by the opposition in Rajya Sabha, Swaraj said that it would not be correct to say that there has been a change in the US policies during the Trump administration, asserting that even before Donald Trump came to power, there has been a “flip-flop” in the H1-B policy by the US.
“In 1990 when H1B visas were first introduced, the cap was 65,000. In 2000, during NDA, it was raised to 1,95,000 for three years. In 2004 the number of these visas was again reversed to 65,000 by the US. So there has been a flip-flop on this policy even before Donald Trump government,” she said.
