Trump’s plan to deport for millions of undocumented immigrants, including many from India, has sparked significant controversy
Sambeet Dash
US President Trump’s decision to deport 11 million undocumented illegal immigrants. They are mostly of Hispanic origin, though it includes an estimated 725,000 Indians who form the largest group after Mexico and El Salvador. It needs to be reiterated that the USA is not deporting NRIs.
They are deporting illegal immigrants from India, most of whom are from the Indian states of Punjab, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and of course Gujarat, a state proudly proclaimed as a role model development state of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Donkey Route
Inititially 18,000 of them will be deported which Indian Foreign Minister will accept them as the first batch of gifts from ‘My Fraand Dolaand’ ever since he took office as the 47th President of America less than a week ago. A good number of illegals of Indian origin jump borders, jump the visitor and dependant visas by overstaying, never to return to their motherland. Yet most of them take the ‘Donkey’ route to jump across the Mexican and Canadian border. In a tragic incident a couple of years ago a couple from Gujarat were frozen to death along with their small children while trying to cross the Canadian border into the United States during a brutal winter.
During my 28 years of living in the United States, I have come across several folks from India whom I suspect as illegal and undocumented. Some of them are incidentally from Odisha, my home state back home. Years back, an Odia officer from IFS (Indian Foreign Services) was posted in America. Per Foreign ministry rules, he was entitled to bring domestic help from India – a euphemism for the uncomfortable-sounding servant. He brought a semi-educated young man from his village in Cuttack, thinking him the last and the least likely person to escape. Or so he thought.
The officer, a bachelor at that time, spent long days and evenings at work, often eating outside as part of his Foreign Service assignments. Having nothing to do at home and getting bored watching TV all day in an era sans smartphones and social media, his ‘helping hand’, popularly known as ‘Chakara Toka’ in Odia or ‘Naukar’ in Hindi, helped himself by going around the city. Slowly he started getting a taste of American life. One fine morning he decided to abscond without informing his employer. Our IFS Babu (Officer) anticipated that his fellow Odia must have melted away in Chicago, gobbled by the gargantuan city as an undocumented illegal immigrant doing some menial job.
Soon his suspicion turned out to be true. One fine evening he was eating his meal in an Indian Restaurant when he saw his ex-helping hand mopping the floor. No sooner their eyes met than the latter turned and ran away. Our Odia Officer chased him for a while, calling his name at the top of his voice, that he was going to forgive him and his folks back home in India are now a worried lot.
It did not affect the guy as he melted into the labyrinth of vehicles parked around. If the officer wanted he could have followed up with the local authorities to trace him out. But he let him go, allowing the man from his village to pursue his American dream. Fast but not fast enough with his Babu-type alcohol belly, he returned gasping like the Cheetah on the National Geographic Channel after a failed attempt to catch its prey.
Land of Freedom
America was and still is seen as ‘The Land of Freedom’ as many of the forefathers of its inhabitants landed in America fleeing Europe to escape persecution. They were no doubt adventurous those days – for you need to be brave enough to migrate to a different corner of the world at a time when you don’t know what’s in store for you in a new world not you are connected to home by telephone, internet or social media. Yet, the call for freedom trumps all hurdles that can motivate humans to get adventurous and go above and beyond.
Illegal immigration will continue as long as people perceive America as the land of opportunity and success in quest of a better life. Only if they are unable to find work, they can be tempted to go back. That won’t happen as long as the local businesses in the US have a vested interest in hiring illegals by paying them peanuts to further fatten their fat cat owners and the legal, unemployed ones would prefer to stay on welfare than doing any menial job. The powerful business lobby as well as the liberal organizations like the ACLU (I sense a Business backing there too) want illegal immigration to thrive.
Trump has stirred a hornet nest by trying to keep his election promise and doing more than lip service with his attempt to deport them. He has a herculean task ahead. Only time will tell how far he will walk the talk and succeed in his mission.
(The author is an Odia technocrat living in the USA. Views expressed are personal.)
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