US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday defended Washington’s new immigration policy requiring many migrants already living legally in the United States to leave the country and apply for permanent residency or green card from their home country, asserting that the move was a global reform measure and “not about India”.
Rubio, in an interview with NDTV after holding talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, said that the policy was part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to overhaul the US immigration system after what he described as a “serious migratory crisis”.
“Well, it’s not about India. It’s about the whole world,” Rubio said. “The United States has taken a decision that it needs to streamline and improve our system of immigration.”
“The fact of the matter is, and I think every country would understand it, again, this is not about India. This is a global situation that we’re dealing with. Our country, unfortunately, faced a very serious migratory crisis a few years ago,” Rubio added.
He said the US had witnessed more than 20 million undocumented entries in recent years and alleged widespread misuse of the Green Card system, prompting Washington to tighten and restructure immigration procedures.
“Any time you reform a system, there’s going to be some disruptions, some hiccups and some inconvenience,” Rubio said, adding that the new framework would eventually become “much more stable” and efficient for both immigrants and the United States.
The remarks come a day after the Trump administration announced a major change to Green Card processing rules that could affect thousands of Indians, including international students and H-1B visa holders.
Under fresh guidance issued by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), migrants seeking permanent residency will now generally be required to return to their home countries and apply from there, instead of remaining in the US during the adjustment-of-status process.
“From now on, an alien who is in the US temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances,” USCIS spokesman Zach Kahler said.
The agency said adjustment of status within the US would now be treated as an exceptional form of relief, with immigration officers instructed to scrutinise applications on a case-by-case basis.
“Nonimmigrants, like students, temporary workers, or people on tourist visas, come to the US for a short time and for a specific purpose,” USCIS said in its policy memo. “Their visit should not function as the first step in the Green Card process.”
The policy is expected to significantly impact Indian nationals, who form one of the largest groups of H-1B visa holders and employment-based Green Card applicants in the US.
Rubio, however, argued that the reforms would benefit applicants in the long run. “Indians who seek to come to the United States are going to find themselves with a system that, in the long run, is going to prove to be more efficient and more effective,” he said.
During his meeting with PM Modi at Seva Teerth, Rubio, who is on a three-day cross-country visit in India, also extended an invitation on behalf of US President Donald Trump for the Prime Minister to visit the White House.
Source: India Today