How India can tackle anti-immigration sentiment in the US

medium116713641Arthur Calwell, a post-war immigration minister in Australia, would have faded into richly deserved obscurity — but, in the course of a parliamentary debate on Asian migrants in 1947, he uttered six words, and became forever (in)famous.“Two Wongs don’t make a White,” he said. Witty? Yes. Racist? Probably. Snappy, snarly riposte to those advocating liberal immigration? Certainly. MAGA notables like Laura Loomer — among her gems is this: the only running water in India is what runs out of people’s asses — make Calwell look like a kombucha-drinking Berkeley liberal.For America’s Loomers, two Murugas from India don’t make a MAGA Yank, hell, 100 Murugas don’t make the cut, never mind that they are brainy techies. That Indian Americans, many of whom are high-earning entrepreneurs and professionals, are in anti-immigration crusaders’ crosshairs isn’t as shocking as it seems to Indians and NRIs.When blood-and-soil nativist nationalism gets charged up, it doesn’t make fine distinctions by looking at immigrants’ skill sets. It wants ‘foreign-looking’ people gone, Wongs or Wadhwanis.And to the extent well-off or wealthy white-collar immigrants have higher visibility than, say, blue or grey-collar ones (think Silicon Valley VC vs Nebraska motel owner), the former’s success feeds the envy factor.But are we brown Indians lily-white on all this? We other our own kind (via caste, religion), we fulminate about ‘outsiders’ (Bangladeshis, Rohingyas).So, the first step in responding to threats to immigration is to list our failings, to which we must add the absence of serious Union-states joint ops against crooks who run the ‘Dunki’ routes for illegal immigration.GOI must convince the US (and other Western countries) it’s cracking down on people trafficking.Minus that, it would lose half the argument on immigration before any dialogue begins. After being honest, be clever. Appoint a minister for immigration, a smart guy who has Modi’s ears and can be articulate in global settings. That mantri’s first job would be to find high-powered people in the Trump administration who have the creds to oppose MAGA group-think. medium nocaptionhttp://youtu.be/DDsWJuVdizo?si=LtGQqTgAdOO4SJSLTake Musk. He danced, belly button showing, with MAGA crowds. But he says skilled techies are vital for America. He’s also said quality American (presumably meaning white Americans) engineers are less motivated than their immigrant counterparts. There’ll be others, including those who see the sense in not reducing H-1B visas. Remember, whether it’s Biden or Trump, US Big Tech is a super-powerful lobby.But GOI shouldn’t ask the likes of Pichai, Nadella or Sriram (Trump-appointed AI adviser) to lobby for it. First, because they, rightly, wouldn’t do it. Second, because asking prominent Indian-Americans to speak for immigration would backfire massively. It will be a gift to Laura Loomer that’ll keep giving.The immigration mantri should also prepare a skills-based demand-supply list — skills the US needs, skills India can supply. Techies, doctors, nurses, some blue-collar professionals.Label the skills: white collar (techies, doctors, STEM people), grey collar (nurses, lab techies, grunt software work), blue collar (plumbers, electricians, truckers).GOI should supply proof of skills (training in credible institutions/documented work experience) and state the number of potential immigrants. The list should be updated annually. GOI should also bat for temporary work visas, to address fears of Indians landing in the US and sticking around, looking for a green card.Once his immigration mantri makes a smart pitch, Modi should talk to Trump. It’s unlikely Trump won’t listen, in part because Musk will be sitting in on that chat. You can’t ever convince Laura Loomer. What GOI should understand is that you don’t need to. medium116713533 medium116713554 medium116713579 medium116713587 medium116713605 medium116713615