Trump Effect: India Agrees to Take Back Every One of Its Citizens Illegally Living in the U.S.

Well, that didn’t take long.

President Donald Trump’s hardline negotiating tactics have already yielded fruit for the United States — but there’s still lots of work to be done.

One of the big campaign promises that helped propel Trump to his second presidential term involved the subject of immigration, namely of the illegal variety.

And while much of the focus on such illegal immigration has been on countries that immediately surround the United States, there are also plenty of issues from immigration abroad.

One such problematic country: India, which reportedly has thousands of illegal immigrants in the U.S.

As reported by Bloomberg, at least 18,000 illegal immigrants from India are currently in America.

That number may soon dwindle.

The Economic Times reported that Trump and the Indian government are working hand-in-hand to address this immigration issue.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi — a professed fan of Trump’s — and his government will be aiding his American counterpart.

That being said, it’s worth noting that the Times explained that India is not doing this solely out of a sense of magnanimity.

“This cooperation hopes to protect legal immigration channels for Indian citizens entering the US, particularly student visas and H-1B visas for skilled workers,” the outlet noted.

(For the unfamiliar, H-1B visas have been a particularly thorny topic for Republicans. In fact, many think that Vivek Ramaswamy’s outspoken support of those visas played a small role in his departure from the Department of Government Efficiency.)

Oh, and the Times report also hammered home one more thing: Trump’s art of the deal and tough negotiating tactics played a big role in this development.

“Like several other nations, India is working behind the scenes to appease the Trump administration and avoid the brunt of its trade threats,” the Times reported. “The crackdown on illegal migration has been a signature campaign pledge for Trump.

“Within hours of his inauguration Monday, the new president moved to fulfill that pledge as he pushed to end birthright citizenship and mobilize troops on the US-Mexico border.”

The report also noted that the “two countries have together identified some 18,000 illegal Indian migrants in the US to be sent back home, according to people familiar with the matter.”

(The Times admitted that the above figure “could be much higher” since it’s “unclear how many illegal Indian migrants live in the US.”)

The report emphasized that India is expecting something in return: “In return for its cooperation, India hopes that the Trump administration would protect legal immigration channels used by its citizens to enter the US, in particular the student visas and the H-1B program for skilled workers.”

The Times reported that Indian citizens made up the overwhelming majority (“almost three-fourths”) of the 386,000 H-1B visas issued in 2023.

While the merits of legal immigration, as well as H-1B visas, is a much longer discussion for a different time, this much is undeniable: Donald Trump knows how to get results — and quickly.

That’s a far cry from Trump’s doddering predecessor. All Americans should be thankful for that, even if there’s still a lot of work left to do.

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