India’s Immigration Concerns From Trump Returns to the White House

(INDIA) India’s government and families are bracing for tougher U.S. immigration policies as the prospect of another Trump presidency collides with a new travel ban, stepped-up deportations, and uncertainty over the future of H-1B visas that have long tied the two countries’ tech and education ecosystems together. The anxiety has sharpened since June 4, 2025, when President Trump announced a travel ban covering 19 countries, with U.S. memos weighing whether to add up to 36 more if they fall short on identity vetting and cooperation in taking back deported citizens. The policy, set to take effect on June 9, 2025, signals a broader hard line that Indian officials fear could disrupt student flows, immigrant workers’ lives, and diplomatic ties just as New Delhi prepares for a high-stakes summit with Washington.

At the heart of Indian concern lies the H-1B visa program, which allows U.S. employers to hire highly skilled foreign workers in fields such as software and engineering. Indians have historically received up to 75% of H-1B visas annually, a share that has powered both America’s tech industry and India’s middle-class dreams. Reports in Indian media say proposals to eliminate or severely restrict H-1B visas have stirred widespread worry across campuses, outsourcing hubs, and diaspora communities in the United States. Elon Musk, a vocal Trump supporter, stepped into the debate with a blunt defense of the program.

“We need the best talent in the world, and H-1B is critical for that,” he said.

For Indian families looking toward Silicon Valley as an engine of mobility, any sudden shift in H-1B visas during the Trump presidency would be a shock to a system that has relied on a stable pipeline of engineers and data scientists.

Policy uncertainty stretches well beyond work visas. Indian applicants stuck in employment-based green card queues—predominantly in the EB-2 and EB-3 categories—have waited 13 years or more in many cases, according to Indian media reports, with Trump-era changes introducing more scrutiny and limiting the annual flow. The result is a churn of professionals living in what many describe as limbo, switching jobs carefully, weighing whether to buy homes, and putting down roots knowing their path to permanent residency can be both narrow and distant. For Indian engineers already in the U.S. on H-1B visas, the backlog amplifies risk: a tougher adjudication environment, coupled with long waits for green cards, can mean more anxiety over renewals, family status, and the basic timeline for staying in the United States lawfully.

India’s foreign ministry has also been forced to confront a surge in deportation activity. Indian officials and newspapers say as many as 725,000 undocumented Indians could be in the United States, making them a target as the Trump administration intensifies removal operations. The fear turned stark in June 2025, when 104 Indian nationals were loaded onto a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport and repatriated, their hands and feet bound, in an episode that drew sharp reactions from families, opposition parties, and rights advocates. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar responded by drawing a line between policy and treatment.

“India is committed to legal immigration only and to repatriating some 20,000 undocumented Indians identified by the Trump administration,” he said.

Opposition politicians have seized on the conditions of the removal, citing accounts of shackling and distress on the long transcontinental flight. Deportees interviewed by Indian media described being “shackled for hours” and experiencing “personal hardship” upon return, magnifying the political pressure on New Delhi to demand humane treatment even while cooperating on removals.

The new travel ban has compounded the uncertainty for families with relatives abroad. The State Department has framed the policy as a security step, and spokesman Tammy Bruce said the White House expects countries to tighten their controls and help speed up deportations.

“The administration is urging countries to strengthen their passport vetting procedures, cooperate in accepting deported nationals from the United States, and take additional measures to ensure their citizens do not pose a threat to American security,” said Bruce.

Indian media reports say the ban’s reach has already stranded children who can’t reunite with parents and blocked foreign doctors from reaching U.S. hospitals, creating a ripple effect that touches labor markets alongside families.

The possible expansion of the ban to include up to 36 additional countries is especially sensitive in New Delhi, where officials want to avoid getting drawn into punitive measures tied to documentation or return cooperation. While India is not on the list of 19 countries, the policy signals a broader shift that could ensnare travelers in complex screening requirements and make visa issuance more unpredictable. Indian airlines and travel agencies say they are fielding questions about documentation, timelines, and contingency plans, especially for travelers with prior overstays or families with mixed immigration status.

The squeeze on students is another source of anxiety. Indian media report that student visa approvals for Indians have dropped by 44% amid a broader immigration crackdown, a sharp reversal for a community that has become the largest cohort of international students in the United States. Families already contending with higher costs and tighter university budgets now worry that changes in policy and workload at U.S. consulates may slow approvals further. The fall in approvals carries practical consequences: students who delay entry risk missing program deadlines, losing scholarships, or shifting to other countries, while U.S. universities lose tuition revenue and lab staff they rely on to keep research running.

The political conversation in India reflects this new terrain. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has raised immigration concerns directly with Washington, according to Indian media coverage of preparations for a planned bilateral summit, and ministers have been assessing next steps on trafficking networks that channel migrants through Latin America toward the U.S. southern border. New Delhi has also pressed for speedier visa processing and shorter waits for employment-based green cards. The Modi government, often bullish on ties with the United States, is also “worried about the uncertainty of how [Trump] will treat them, and what kind of deals he will try to make,” according to Indian media reports, a sign of how immigration has become a central variable in the diplomatic playbook.

Inside India, the deportations have opened a raw discussion about the risks of irregular migration and the pressures that drive it. In Gujarat and Punjab, two states with long histories of overseas migration and strong political networks, local leaders and families have watched deported relatives return home to debts and public scrutiny. The complaints focus less on the fact of removal and more on the methods—handcuffs, ankle restraints, and conditions on long-haul flights—that many here say should not be used on people who are not accused of violent crimes. With opposition parties spotlighting the physical treatment more than the policy goal of removals, the debate has turned to whether India should press for written protocols on humane handling and medical care during deportations.

The backlogs for green cards and the future of H-1B visas are also intersecting with corporate concerns. Indian IT companies and U.S. tech firms with large Indian workforces are trying to plan for staffing amid talk of stricter caps or higher hurdles for renewals. Some executives point to the historical role of H-1B visas in filling skill gaps in artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure, and cybersecurity—fields that are hard to staff domestically at scale. With Indian nationals holding up to three-quarters of H-1B approvals in some years, any sudden policy change during the Trump presidency could ripple across project timelines, delivery commitments, and training budgets on both sides of the ocean. Industry groups say the uncertainty could prompt more offshoring or a pivot to Canada 🇨🇦 and other destinations that offer clearer permanent residency tracks.

Families caught in the backlogs describe a web of practical dilemmas. Without permanent residency, spouses on dependent visas may not be able to work, children who grew up in the United States may face questions about their long-term status, and career choices are often constrained by the need to maintain visa eligibility. For those still in India and hoping to join employers in the United States, the specter of stricter adjudications raises the risk that years of study and costly training could lead to refusals. The stories that surface in neighborhood WhatsApp groups and alumni chats are granular and often grim: a job offer that can’t be used because a petition was denied, a promotion declined because a role change could trigger a new review, a child nearing adulthood with no green card in sight.

The official messaging from New Delhi has tried to walk a narrow line, signaling cooperation on removals while protesting harsh treatment and seeking assurances on fair processing for work and student visas. Jaishankar’s statement—

“India is committed to legal immigration only and to repatriating some 20,000 undocumented Indians identified by the Trump administration”—

captures that balance. It also underscores a political reality: India wants deeper economic and defense ties with Washington, but faces domestic pressure to protect citizens abroad and avoid the perception that Indian nationals are being singled out by U.S. immigration policies.

In Washington, the focus on enforcement is unlikely to ease soon. The Department of State’s call for stronger vetting and acceptance of deportees has put a premium on documentation protocols, exit controls, and quick response by partner governments. Bruce’s statement—

“The administration is urging countries to strengthen their passport vetting procedures, cooperate in accepting deported nationals from the United States, and take additional measures to ensure their citizens do not pose a threat to American security”—

makes clear that countries that balk at taking back their citizens could face tougher treatment under the travel ban policy. Indian officials say they aim to avoid any friction that could spill into broader bilateral cooperation, including defense manufacturing and technology partnerships.

For Indian students, workers, and families navigating the U.S. system, the practical advice has been to keep paperwork in order, track application timelines, and prepare for slower processing or added requests for evidence. Universities and employers have been circulating updated guidance while waiting for more detailed policy notes from U.S. agencies on H-1B adjudications and travel screening. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services offers official information on H-1B eligibility, caps, and filing procedures on its website, which many applicants now consult regularly as they weigh their options. For authoritative details, applicants can review the USCIS H-1B program page.

If the Modi-Trump summit goes ahead as planned, Indian media expect immigration to dominate the agenda, alongside border trafficking crackdowns and ways to speed up adjudications. The immediate test will be how both governments handle the next rounds of deportation flights and whether there are any adjustments to protocol to address concerns raised by families from Gujarat and Punjab. Another test will come in the fall, when student arrivals typically peak; a sustained drop in approvals could push more Indian applicants to look to Canada, Australia, or the United Kingdom, reshaping the landscape for graduate programs and tech talent pipelines.

For now, the combination of a new travel ban, louder enforcement, and rumors of deep cuts to H-1B visas has left Indians on edge about what a second Trump presidency means for their plans. The stakes are personal—jobs, degrees, mortgages, and family timelines—but they are also strategic for two governments that have spent a decade strengthening ties. As the policies take effect on June 9, 2025, the outcome will be measured in numbers that are easy to track—student approvals, H-1B filings, removal flights—and in the quieter tally of choices made by families doing the math on risk. Whether the dial turns toward stability or more disruption will depend on how both capitals manage the hard edges of immigration enforcement without severing the links that have defined one of the world’s most important people-to-people relationships.