Jane DoeDonald Trump is known for a lot of things, consistency is not one of those things. He has turned the American political scene upside down by clinching the Republican Party’s presidential nomination. Who would have thought a real estate mogul could reach such heights! The Presidential election in the USA will affect the global economy. So where does that leave India?
Donald Trump And Immigration
He is definitely famous for making controversial statements and disregarding facts and figures. Every candidate has a set of policies or one focus area that they concentrate on. For Donald Trump, that focus area has been immigration. Throughout the campaign, he has talked about deporting illegal immigrants and building a wall between the USA and Mexico. Trump has oscillated between an extreme stance and a more softened stance. As recent as last week, he has changed his stance on immigration reform about two or three times.
Also Read: Racial Profiling of Indians In USA
What About India?
Indians make up a large chunk of H-1B holders in America. The figures from 2015 show that about 86% of the visa allowance is given to Indians. The work visa has enabled many an engineer and programmer to take their career to the next level. Early on in the campaign, Trump talked about abolishing the work visa. A few days later, he went back on his word and conceded that maybe Indian Ivy League students will be allowed to stay.
His campaign motto is to “Make America Great Again”. Some of his speeches have explicitly mentioned that jobs are being outsourced, and he would like to bring them back. Whichever way you look, Donald Trump does not consider foreign workers worthy of respect or rights. Hiking fees, making it difficult for companies to hire workers via H-1B and other similar reforms are just the top of the iceberg.
Being Cautious
Donald Trump is like a hot tava that needs to be handled with excessive caution, lest our Indian politicians get burnt. John Kerry’s latest visit to India has resulted in the signing of a defense agreement.
The deal is essential in creating a trade and strategic alliance between India and the USA. There is absolutely no guarantee that Donald Trump will honor the deals made before his time. We have seen time and again how Trump changes his mind on important policy issues. If President Trump wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, all the effort that has gone into building a relationship with his country will go down the drain.
It is really difficult for just about anyone to figure what Donald Trump is thinking, including his own party. While on one hand he espouses American values and wanting to make the nation great again, on the other hand, he talks about keeping allowing skilled Indians to stay in the country so they can boost the economy. Note that unless you graduate from Harvard, Cornell or the likes, you have no chance.
With a Trump presidency, there is no predicting the future of Indo-US relations.
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