• Source:JND
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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday met newly appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio, where the latter shared 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.

Secretary Rubio and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar reiterated their mutual commitment to enhancing the partnership between the United States and India. They engaged in discussions on various topics, including regional matters and ways to further strengthen the US-India relationship.

Following the meeting, Jaishankar, while speaking to the reporters said, "I flagged some concerns which are very widespread in India about delays in visas and the relationship is not well served if it takes that many days to get a visa. They affect business, tourism and constrain people-to-people relationship, which is the foundation of our relationship."

The US-India relationship has grown significantly in recent years, particularly in areas such as defence cooperation, trade, and shared strategic objectives in the Indo-Pacific region. Secretary Rubio highlighted the importance of critical and emerging technologies as a key area for collaboration, underscoring the mutual interest of both countries in promoting innovation and strengthening security frameworks.

The Trump administration, upon taking office, has rolled out a range of measures targeting illegal immigration. This includes the revocation of birthright citizenship, a constitutional guarantee, and the declaration of a national emergency at the US-Mexico border.

What S Jaishankar Said About Indian Migrants In US?

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar responded on Wednesday to media reports alleging that India is cooperating with the Trump administration to repatriate 18,000 migrants from the US, clarifying that the identities of those individuals must first be verified.

The External Affairs Minister, represented India at the first Quad meeting after Donald Trump's swearing-in as the 47th president of the United States. Additionally, he held a bilateral discussion with the US Secretary of State.

"In terms of the irregular migration, we had a discussion on a range of issues and one of the issues which came up was mobility of people. We have a principled position on mobility that applies to all countries – as a government, we are very much supportive of legal mobility. We do believe in a global workspace. We want Indian talent and skills to have the maximum opportunity at a global level," said Jaishankar at a press briefing.

"At the same time, we are very firmly opposed to illegal mobility and migration because when something illegal happens, many other illegal activities get joined into it. This is not reputationally good. We have always taken the view that if there are any of our citizens who are not there illegally, if we are sure that they are our citizens we have always been open to their legitimate return to India. It is not a position unique to the US. I also told him (Rubio) that while we understand all of this, it is in our mutual interest to facilitate legal mobility," he added.

He advised the public to be cautious about the reported number of 18,000 Indians living illegally in the US. "At our end, we have to verify if they are really Indians because naturally there are sensitivities involved there," he added.