India refuses to accept US' list of 271 'illegal' immigrants
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday said that India has refused to accept US' list of 271 illegal Indians living in the country and sought more details from the Donald Trump administration. "We have said that it is only after we verify the details, can we issue an emergency certificate for their deportation," she further said.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has said that the government is not yet ready to accept the US' version on a list of 271 Indians living in that country. The Trump administration has identified them as living in the US as 'illegal' migrants.Sushma Swaraj has 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. Speaking during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha yesterday, Sushma said, "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." 'NO CHANGE IN US POLICIES'Addressing the concerns expressed by some Rajya Sabha MPs, Sushma said it would not be correct to say that there has been a change in the US policies after the Trump administration has come to power.Several members expressed concern over the effects of the steps being taken by the Donald Trump administration on Indian citizens including skilled professionals living there.Referring to skilled workers, Swaraj said regarding H1B and L1 visas for professionals, four bills have come to the US Congress but they have not been passed.PROFESSIONALS VS ILLEGAL MIGRANTSShe said the government was engaging with the US at the highest level to ensure that the interests of Indian people or the IT industry are not affected."We are conveying to them that IT professionals are not stealing jobs but contributing to the US economy and making it stronger," the Minister said.While greeting Swaraj on her recovery after having been unwell, Anand Sharma of Congress said it is important that skilled professionals are not confused with illegal migrants.Swaraj said she had earlier stated that some Bills have been moved in the US, but the government was taking steps so that they are not passed in such a form. She said the Foreign Secretary had met US Congress members who had been all praise for Indians.'OLD CONCERNS PACKAGED NEW' Even in 2012, a figure had come that 11.43 lakh migrants lived there, of whom 2.60 lakh were Indians. "We did not accept the figure because it cannot be considered authentic without thorough verification," she said.She said "there are no authentic figures on the number of undocumented Indian immigrants in the US", adding that the government provided travel documents only after the concerned person was conclusively identified as Indian."In case we don't provide travel documents, they would be jailed," Swaraj said, adding that from 2014 till date, 576 people have been provided travel documents.Responding to questions on social security, she said these issues have been raised in the past and can be taken up again later "as you say right now a sword is hanging on jobs".On H1B visas, she said there have been "flip-flops" in the past and the number of these visas rose from 65,000 to 1.95 lakh and then again went down to 65,000. "It is not that all these changes have happened only after the Trump administration has taken over," she said.