Marco Rubio to Jaishankar: US wants to address irregular migration

AT HIS maiden meeting with external affairs Minister S Jaishankar, newly-appointed US secretary of state Marco Rubio expressed Trump administration's desire to advance economic ties with India, and address concerns related to irregular migration, a spokesperson for the top US diplomat said Tuesday (21).

Rubio, 53, opted to have his first bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart, underlining the importance the Trump administration attaches to strengthening ties with India.

He met Jaishankar, 70, at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department, soon after a Quad ministerial meeting.

Rubio "emphasised the Trump administration's desire to work with India to advance economic ties and address concerns related to irregular migration", State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a readout after the meeting.

The two top diplomats affirmed a shared commitment to continuing to strengthen the India-US partnership, she said.

"They discussed a wide range of topics, including regional issues and opportunities to further deepen the US-India relationship, in particular on critical and emerging technologies, defence cooperation, energy, and on advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region," Bruce said.

In a post on X after the meeting, Jaishankar said he was delighted to meet Rubio for his first bilateral meeting after assuming charge as secretary of state.

"Reviewed our extensive bilateral partnership, of which @secrubio has been a strong advocate. Also exchanged views on a wide range of regional and global issues. Look forward to closely working with him to advance our strategic cooperation," said Jaishankar, who is here at the invitation of the US government to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Donald Trump.

18,000 Indian illegal migrants

After taking office, US President Donald Trump issued a raft of executive orders that aim to clamp down on illegal immigration and advance his goal of deporting millions of immigrants who are in the US illegally. He had made immigration a key issue of his election campaign last year.

The Indian government is prepared to work with the Trump administration to identify and take back all its citizens residing illegally in the US, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing sources.

The report added that the two countries have together identified some 18,000 Indian migrants who are in the US illegally and could be sent back home.

H-1B visas

India, separately on its part, has said that the movement of skilled professionals is an important part of India-US ties and benefits both countries amid a debate over H-1B visas on which Trump and his billionaire backer Elon Musk offered support to the visas.

India, known for its massive pool of IT professionals, many of whom work across the world, accounts for the bulk of H-1B visas issued by the United States.

Trump says he fully backed the programme opposed by some of his supporters after Musk vowed to go to "war" to defend it.

India received about 78 per cent of the 265,777 H-1B visas issued by the United States in the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2023. (Agencies)