Humiliating Indians Trips Trump's Mission

Identity is a matter of pride, not prejudice. For a decade, India was hailed as the rising Asian power to counter China—an economic behemoth, a foreign policy superpower, and a vital Vishwaguru. Global Goliaths in business viewed it as a favored investment destination and an independent power that could coolly thumb its nose at US sanctions by buying Russian oil, because it suited its domestic interests. American presidents and European leaders courted New Delhi with more ardor than Mark Antony had wooed Cleopatra. It looked as if India had regained its old identity as the world's golden bird or 'sone ka chidiya,' breaking free of the chains of a colonial hangover and a Noachian socialist legacy.

- PRABHU CHAWLA

But this month, the chains were back; illegal Indian migrants were sent back on US military planes, shackled and handcuffed as if they are criminals. They were neither a desi Costra Nostra nor even accused of crimes. The White House released the humiliating pictures of Indians, although aliens deported to China, Pakistan, and numerous Islamic countries were neither chained nor filmed. Many terror attacks on the West were masterminded by criminals and cyber villains from these countries. Some 100 Pakistani nationals were flown to Panama because Islamabad refused to accept them. Surprisingly, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement have no firm estimates of illegal Pakistani immigrants, and they were not hounded out like Mexicans and Indians.

Indians are Trump's new pariahs, even though Indian Americans have founded 11 percent of the startups valued at over $1 billion, own around 60 percent of American hotels, and head 16 Fortune 500 companies. They pay $250–300 billion in taxes every year. Yet, singling out India is not new in the US, although it has rarely made prime time. Team Trump's attempt to minimize India's relevance in international diplomacy is an indication that the American elite's weltanschauung is not Bharat-positive.

Last week, the Indian embassy in Panama posted on X: "Panamanian authorities have informed us that a group of Indians have reached Panama from the US. They are safe and secure at a hotel with all essential facilities. The embassy team has obtained consular access." While the US plans to deport over half a million Indians, South Block has agreed to accept only 18,000. The process of packing them home started earlier, but hit the headlines only after Trump 2.0's decision to signal an international spectacle.