Trump plays it tough

M. R. Dua

Donald J.Trump Pursuing one of the major election promises, President Donald J.Trump's administration has been regularly cracking down on the immigrants entering illegally in the United States. The White House has been taking rigorous measures to guard the national borders. As a result, the unending droves of unauthorized entrants are being expeditiously arrested and detained almost every month. Until recently, the majority of illegal arrivals used to pour in from the US's southern neighbour, Mexico. Of late, multitude squads of intruders come from central American countries,such as El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras. In addition, throngs of illegals from Asia -- Bangladesh, Nepal, India -- Africa and Middle East, have successfully made their way to America. A prominent majority among those coming from India are young Sikhs from Punjab. Of more than 1,600 illegals detained recently, nearly 200 were Indians; 53 Punjabi Sikhs in their mid-twenties.

A mother and her children, from Central America, entering the United States border and customs facility in Tijuana, Mexico Although the U.S.census bureau generally does not question immigrants' religious denomination;the turbaned-Sikhs do form a significant majority of Indian origin settled in this country. Rough estimates place the current population in America around three lakh. The Sikh gurdwaras, incidentally, number nearly 250, are spread all over the country. Overall, Indians in the US number nearly 2.5 million, besides the students who are on their respective visas or special entry permits. Meanwhile,with the Trump administration's 'zerotolerance policy on immigration,' and an intensified campaign to arrest entry of illegals from anywhere sneaking into the US and seeking asylum, 200 Indians, from Punjab and Gujarat – the highest number from one country, were rounded and detained in four federal prisons in the American states of Washington, Oregon, and New Mexico.
Generally, Indian-American permanent residents living in the United States are law-abiding and disciplined; India's Sikh community members are highly respected and wealthy. Therefore, the news that 53 Sikhs had entered America illegally and were seeking asylum, has profusely shocked many Indian-Americans, particularly the well-to-do Sikhs here. These Sikhs are being detained in prison camps meant for hundreds of asylum seekers from several countries.
Meanwhile, the Sikh asylum-seekers have alleged that they have entered the US to get relief from bad and allegedly shabby treatment being meted out to them in India. Besides, they were being religiously persecuted. In addition,they say, they have experienced a plethora of prejudice and political violence, particularly after the 1984 Sikh riots in India. They say they seek refuge in the U. S. for 'religious freedom.'

Human-trafficking is said to be one of the reasons for illegal entry by people from Punjab, a California Punjabi Association official has said. Majority of them are brought into the US by 'transnational smuggling networks' who train them to file false papers for seeking asylum claims.

allegedly shabby treatment being meted out to them in India. Besides, they were being religiously persecuted. In addition,they say, they have experienced a plethora of prejudice and political violence, particularly after the 1984 Sikh riots in India. They say they seek refuge in the U. S. for 'religious freedom.'
According to a recent survey by a local non-profit Indian outfit, most Sikhs head to the US alleging 'economic collapse' due to failing crops, environmental degradation, major drug epidemic, human rights abuse and political violence. Ironically, the local American print and electronic media outlets too have been highlighting stray instances of alleged ill-treatment against the Sikh community Punjab in recent times.

The 1,600 detainees are asylum seekers. Of these nearly 200 Indians, including 53 Sikhs, were hauled up by the guards of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) department under President Trump's 'zerotolerance policy on immigration.'These 1,600 detainees in the refugee camps have arrived from 16 countries— Peru, Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Russia, Congo, Mauritania and Eritrea, say the ICE officials.
When three American lawmakers who met these detainee asylum-seekers in prison camps, were dismayed when they learned about their sorry plight and not-so-congenial conditions. They found them in unseemly conditions with insufficient healthcare facilities and lacking in general conveniences.
Indian community activists in the US have been organizing 'Families Belong Together' protests in several cities across the country in support of these arrests. A sympathy demonstration for the detainees was also recently staged by an Indian-American member of the US Congress, Mrs. Pramila Jayapal.
She , along with 575 other women, was arrested in Washington DC staging a protest against the Trump immigration policies. Mrs. Jayapal was also fined $30 for crowding and obstructing traffic in Washington.
The highly public-spirited 52- year-old, Mrs. Jayapal is a wellknown leader of the migrationrights movement, and founder of 'One-America'. Profoundly popular in the Indian community and a prominent member of the US House of Representative, from Washington. Another Congress woman Kamala Harris has also joined the protests organized in San Diego in the state of California. Meanwhile

Meanwhile, India's embassy in the US, and its Consulates in Houston, New York, and San Francisco, have also established contacts with the two immigration detention centers where Indian citizens, mostly from Gujarat and Sikhs from Punjab, have been detained for illegally entering through its southern Mexico border. Officials of the Indian Consulates have visited the detention facilities to 'monitor' the Indians' situation.
According to the Punjabi Association in America, during the years 2013, '14, and '15, nearly 27,000 Indians, majority from Punjab, have been apprehended at the US borders, 4,000 of them being women and 350 children. Quite a few of them were held due to overstaying their permits or visa-limits in the country. Human-trafficking is said to be one of the reasons for illegal entry by people from Punjab, a California Punjabi Association official has said. Majority of them are brought into the US by 'transnational smuggling networks' who train them to file false papers for seeking asylum claims.
Several Indian-American media outlets such as India-West, India Times, India Abroad, India Currents, India Journal, Khas Baat, DeshVidesh, and many more in Hindi, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, etc., have been highlighting their pitiable conditions here, but the illegals' flow continues incessantly.
Finally, while the illegals' rush to the US keeps unabated, the Trump administration is not ready to yield an inch of space to the illegal entrants who are mostly sparsely academically qualified. However, the US will invariably continue to welcome highly skilled people, and those exceptionally qualified in STEM subjects – science, technology, mathematics and engineering.



		EDITOR'S MAIL EDITOR'S COMMENT FRANKLY SPEAKING REALPOLITIK ISI WEB DRUG MENACE IN PUNJAB FARMERS' LOAN WINDOW ON M.P. HIMACHAL AGONY LOOKING BACK SIGNS OF THE TIMES PAKISTAN TODAY DRAGON DRILL IN TIBET MODI'S DIPLOMACY GLOBAL AFFAIRS REVIEW ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HITS & MISSES DIARY BOOK BAZAAR BOOK BAZAAR CHANGING TIMES THIRD SEX YOGA IN DAILY LIFE A SPRITUAL GURU ART OF LIVING Issue:August' 2018 Subscribe Now	ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Trump plays it tough M. R. Dua Donald J.Trump Pursuing one of the major election promises, President Donald J.Trump's administration has been regularly cracking down on the immigrants entering illegally in the United States. The White House has been taking rigorous measures to guard the national borders. As a result, the unending droves of unauthorized entrants are being expeditiously arrested and detained almost every month. Until recently, the majority of illegal arrivals used to pour in from the US's southern neighbour, Mexico. Of late, multitude squads of intruders come from central American countries,such as El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras. In addition, throngs of illegals from Asia -- Bangladesh, Nepal, India -- Africa and Middle East, have successfully made their way to America. A prominent majority among those coming from India are young Sikhs from Punjab. Of more than 1,600 illegals detained recently, nearly 200 were Indians; 53 Punjabi Sikhs in their mid-twenties. A mother and her children, from Central America, entering the United States border and customs facility in Tijuana, Mexico Although the U.S.census bureau generally does not question immigrants' religious denomination;the turbaned-Sikhs do form a significant majority of Indian origin settled in this country. Rough estimates place the current population in America around three lakh. The Sikh gurdwaras, incidentally, number nearly 250, are spread all over the country. Overall, Indians in the US number nearly 2.5 million, besides the students who are on their respective visas or special entry permits. Meanwhile,with the Trump administration's 'zerotolerance policy on immigration,' and an intensified campaign to arrest entry of illegals from anywhere sneaking into the US and seeking asylum, 200 Indians, from Punjab and Gujarat – the highest number from one country, were rounded and detained in four federal prisons in the American states of Washington, Oregon, and New Mexico. Generally, Indian-American permanent residents living in the United States are law-abiding and disciplined; India's Sikh community members are highly respected and wealthy. Therefore, the news that 53 Sikhs had entered America illegally and were seeking asylum, has profusely shocked many Indian-Americans, particularly the well-to-do Sikhs here. These Sikhs are being detained in prison camps meant for hundreds of asylum seekers from several countries. Meanwhile, the Sikh asylum-seekers have alleged that they have entered the US to get relief from bad and allegedly shabby treatment being meted out to them in India. Besides, they were being religiously persecuted. In addition,they say, they have experienced a plethora of prejudice and political violence, particularly after the 1984 Sikh riots in India. They say they seek refuge in the U. S. for 'religious freedom.' Human-trafficking is said to be one of the reasons for illegal entry by people from Punjab, a California Punjabi Association official has said. Majority of them are brought into the US by 'transnational smuggling networks' who train them to file false papers for seeking asylum claims. allegedly shabby treatment being meted out to them in India. Besides, they were being religiously persecuted. In addition,they say, they have experienced a plethora of prejudice and political violence, particularly after the 1984 Sikh riots in India. They say they seek refuge in the U. S. for 'religious freedom.' According to a recent survey by a local non-profit Indian outfit, most Sikhs head to the US alleging 'economic collapse' due to failing crops, environmental degradation, major drug epidemic, human rights abuse and political violence. Ironically, the local American print and electronic media outlets too have been highlighting stray instances of alleged ill-treatment against the Sikh community Punjab in recent times. The 1,600 detainees are asylum seekers. Of these nearly 200 Indians, including 53 Sikhs, were hauled up by the guards of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) department under President Trump's 'zerotolerance policy on immigration.'These 1,600 detainees in the refugee camps have arrived from 16 countries— Peru, Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Russia, Congo, Mauritania and Eritrea, say the ICE officials. When three American lawmakers who met these detainee asylum-seekers in prison camps, were dismayed when they learned about their sorry plight and not-so-congenial conditions. They found them in unseemly conditions with insufficient healthcare facilities and lacking in general conveniences. Indian community activists in the US have been organizing 'Families Belong Together' protests in several cities across the country in support of these arrests. A sympathy demonstration for the detainees was also recently staged by an Indian-American member of the US Congress, Mrs. Pramila Jayapal. She , along with 575 other women, was arrested in Washington DC staging a protest against the Trump immigration policies. Mrs. Jayapal was also fined $30 for crowding and obstructing traffic in Washington. The highly public-spirited 52- year-old, Mrs. Jayapal is a wellknown leader of the migrationrights movement, and founder of 'One-America'. Profoundly popular in the Indian community and a prominent member of the US House of Representative, from Washington. Another Congress woman Kamala Harris has also joined the protests organized in San Diego in the state of California. Meanwhile Meanwhile, India's embassy in the US, and its Consulates in Houston, New York, and San Francisco, have also established contacts with the two immigration detention centers where Indian citizens, mostly from Gujarat and Sikhs from Punjab, have been detained for illegally entering through its southern Mexico border. Officials of the Indian Consulates have visited the detention facilities to 'monitor' the Indians' situation. According to the Punjabi Association in America, during the years 2013, '14, and '15, nearly 27,000 Indians, majority from Punjab, have been apprehended at the US borders, 4,000 of them being women and 350 children. Quite a few of them were held due to overstaying their permits or visa-limits in the country. Human-trafficking is said to be one of the reasons for illegal entry by people from Punjab, a California Punjabi Association official has said. Majority of them are brought into the US by 'transnational smuggling networks' who train them to file false papers for seeking asylum claims. Several Indian-American media outlets such as India-West, India Times, India Abroad, India Currents, India Journal, Khas Baat, DeshVidesh, and many more in Hindi, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, etc., have been highlighting their pitiable conditions here, but the illegals' flow continues incessantly. Finally, while the illegals' rush to the US keeps unabated, the Trump administration is not ready to yield an inch of space to the illegal entrants who are mostly sparsely academically qualified. However, the US will invariably continue to welcome highly skilled people, and those exceptionally qualified in STEM subjects – science, technology, mathematics and engineering.