India's Modi arrives in Washington as deportation of illegal migrants issue simmers
Tariffs and immigration, two thorny topics expected to be on the agenda
As Narendra Modi's plane landed in Washington Wednesday evening, India's prime minister was armed with a crucial goal: avoid U.S. President Donald Trump's wrath and try to mitigate punishing tariffs.
Even with a flurry of controversial actions during Trump's first weeks in office, Indian officials have projected cautious optimism about ongoing diplomatic ties with their largest trade partner, with India's foreign minister stating last fall that theirs was not one of the countries "nervous about the U.S."
But tensions have already emerged on two obvious sticking points — trade and immigration — with New Delhi anxious to avoid any consequences that would further slow its economy.
Immigration is a delicate issue to navigate, with Indians making up the third largest group of illegal immigrants living in the United States. An estimated 725,000 Indian nationals are living in the U.S. without legal documents, according to the Pew Research Center's latest estimates.
On trade, Trump has labelled India a "very big abuser" because of its high tariffs on imports, a statement that reportedly forced Indian officials to consider lowering duties on goods including bourbon and pecans, which are mainly produced in Republican states.
The two leaders are also expected to talk about India buying more American defence equipment and sourcing liquefied natural gas supplies.
But Modi will have to balance those offerings during this visit with the simmering anger in India over recent mass deportations of Indian migrants in the U.S.
The arrival of 104 Indians on an American C-17 military plane last week to the northern city of Amritsar — shackled and handcuffed — prompted protests in the South Asian country last week as fury grew over their treatment. A second plane of deportees is reportedly expected to arrive as early as this weekend.
USBP and partners successfully returned illegal aliens to India, marking the farthest deportation flight yet using military transport. This mission underscores our commitment to enforcing immigration laws and ensuring swift removals.<br><br>If you cross illegally, you will be removed. <a href="https://t.co/WW4OWYzWOf">pic.twitter.com/WW4OWYzWOf</a>
—@USBPChiefIt's a potentially damaging issue domestically for Modi's government, with the opposition Congress Party pushing for answers, as Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar tried to downplay the alleged mistreatment. He reiterated that deportation flights have been common during previous American administrations and that U.S. officials are the ones to decide the logistics of transporting deportees.
Jaishankar also said his team was engaging with American officials to ensure Indians aren't mistreated on future such flights.
'A matter of great shame'
In Rajatal, a small town outside of Amritsar in India's Punjab state, there's more pain and torment than fury over the deportations.
"The way the children were sent back in shackles is shocking," said Swarn Singh, 48, whose 23-year-old son Akashdeep was on the first military plane of deportees to land in India after Trump was sworn in as president.
"It's a matter of great shame for our government."
Though there have been regular deportations of illegal immigrants under previous American administrations, they have largely been brought back to India on commercial flights — not military planes.
"We spent so much money, yet my son was not able to settle abroad," Singh said. "Our livelihood is gone, just like that."
Singh sold several acres of land and livestock, jewelry and tractors to pay for his only child to take an illegal "donkey route," as it's called in India, to the U.S.
He and his wife also borrowed heavily from the bank and from various relatives, Singh said, spending more than $90,000.
"We felt so helpless and we were forced to take this step," Singh said. Their son had struggled to find a job in his hometown and applied to go to Canada and New Zealand, but rejections from those countries pushed him to find agents to get him to the U.S. illegally.
Akashdeep Singh spent seven months in Dubai before heading to Mexico and crossing the border on foot. He was caught soon after and kept in detention for 12 days before being deported to India.
The family has been in tears for much of the past week, but Akashdeep's mother Daljit Kaur said she has been trying to put on a brave face for her son, who was too distraught to speak much about his ordeal.
"We told him not to go," Kaur, 43, said. "But those [agents] made him climb over the wall."
"I'm on antidepressants," she told CBC News. "I don't see any way forward. I have no idea what to do or how we will ever repay our loans."
Soft touch expected from Modi
Both Singh and Kaur said they hope, for the sake of other Indians who have relatives living illegally in the United States, that Modi will tell Trump during their bilateral meeting "not to send these children back" because it would "crush their dreams" of a better future.
The issue of illegal immigration is expected to come up, but it's unlikely Modi will talk tough.
Indian officials have repeatedly said they're open to accepting thousands of Indian citizens who might be deported from America, with New Delhi not only hoping to avoid any trade issues but also wanting to encourage Washington to improve legal routes to the States for skilled workers.
"Modi is Trump's friend," Singh said, when asked if he thought the U.S. president would be swayed by any arguments from the Indian side.
The camaraderie between Modi and Trump, both nationalist leaders, is often played up on both sides. Modi recently called the U.S. president his "dear friend," while Trump has referred to Modi as "the nicest human being."
Thursday's bilateral meeting at the White House will test how far that friendship goes.
So far, India has navigated the chaos of the early days of the Trump administration well, staying out of the spotlight as the president repeatedly threatened to impose stiff tariffs on his closest allies, including Canada.
India-U.S. economic and political ties have deepened in recent years as both countries work to counter an increasingly assertive China.
Back in Amritsar, in Punjab state, there are fears and a growing resignation that the deportation flights will accelerate in the coming weeks.
"People are really scared," said college student Rajanpreet Singh, who personally knows several people who tried to get to the U.S. by illegal means.
"Many of those who went illegally will be forced to return."