External affairs minister S. Jaishankar on Sunday raised concerns over the Trump administration’s visa and immigration policy changes with US secretary of state Marco Rubio, who acknowledged there could be “some bumps” and “friction points” during the transition period as Washington overhauls its immigration system, while insisting the reforms were not aimed at India.
Addressing a joint press conference after wide-ranging talks focused on repairing ties strained over trade and tariff disputes, Jaishankar said India expected legal mobility not to be adversely affected by the new measures, especially given their importance to business, technology and research cooperation.
The remarks came amid concerns over changes to H1B visa norms and a recent US directive requiring green card applicants to apply from their home countries, a move later softened by American authorities.
“I apprised Secretary Rubio of challenges that legitimate travellers face in respect to visa issuance,” Jaishankar said. “While we cooperate to deal with illegal and irregular mobility, our expectation is that legal mobility would not be adversely impacted as a consequence.”
Responding to the concerns, Rubio said the immigration reforms were part of a broader effort to address America’s migration crisis and were being applied globally. “Anytime you undertake a reform, there’s going to be a period of transition that creates some friction points and some difficulties,” he said, while adding that the US hoped to build a “better” and “more efficient” immigration system in the long run.
Rubio also rejected allegations of racism against Indians in the US, saying “every country in the world has stupid people” who make “dumb comments” online, while stressing that immigrants had greatly enriched American society.
On a separate question, Jaishankar said while the US openly pursued an “America first” policy, India too was guided by an “India first” approach, with both countries acting in line with their respective national interests.
Rubio’s visit comes weeks after foreign secretary Vikram Misri travelled to Washington for talks aimed at stabilising ties that had come under strain over tariffs, immigration issues and President Donald Trump’s repeated claims about his role in defusing last year’s India-Pakistan military tensions.