Monkey wrench in donkey route of Indians | India News – Times of India

The centerpiece of Trump’s re-election bid was a promise to deport record numbers of undocumented immigrants. If what he calls the “largest domestic deportation operation in American history” comes to fruition, it would impact an estimated 11 million people who are in the U.S. without authorization.
According to the Pew Research Center, there were approximately 725,000 undocumented Indians in the US in 2021, making them the third largest group in the country. During FY 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection revealed that an average of 10 Indian nationals were arrested every hour while attempting to cross U.S. borders illegally. Many of them are Gujaratis. Jimmy Patel (name changed on request) from Vijapur, Mehsana, who is preparing to sneak into the US, said during his previous term that the “Trump Wall” had failed to keep out illegal immigrants. “Trump had built the wall, but it was porous and there were ways to get through it. But under Biden, legal access became virtually impossible due to complicated asylum procedures. Trump may make the illegal path more difficult now, but if India and America work closely together, the legal path can improve,” Patel said.
“The Trump administration may make it more difficult to enter the US through Mexico or Canada, but we hope that Indians may not face the same criticism. Trump may not see us as a burden as many Indian immigrants are willing to work and earn our living, unlike migrants from other countries who need to be provided with food and shelter until the legalities are worked out,” says Parikshit Patel, a visa consultant from Kalol. .
Some in Gujarat are also clinging to the belief that Trump’s strong bond with Prime Minister Narendra Modi will somehow help them avoid criticism. According to media reports, Trump and his allies, including Stephen Miller, the architect of Trump’s immigration agenda, have outlined a comprehensive vision that aligns with plans outlined in Project 2025, a more than 900-page presidential transition blueprint led by the right-wing Heritage Foundation.
The strategy, as Trump has described it, could involve the extraordinary use of U.S. troops for immigration enforcement and border security and the application of 18th-century war powers. Immigration advocates have warned that deportation plans could be expensive, divisive and inhumane.