The Harsh Scrutiny of Indians in America

Travelers don't have a right to visit America. Yes, that's the response from the US embassy to an incident where a young Indian student, handcuffed and face down at NewYork airport, treated like a criminal. A witness shared on X that this happens 3-4 times a day, with police ejecting students who can't give convincing answers about their visit to the US.

Legally speaking, it's not a right. But what's chilling is that this cruelty is policy on overdrive. President Trump has labelled foreign nationals as national security threats and within days of his election, mass deportations began, with 538 arrests. Recently, an internal order proposed stricter social media vetting for visa interviews, meaning your online activity will be analysed to assess the risk before you're given entry.

Meanwhile, anger is filling onto the streets of America as workplace raids on immigrants intensify with protests erupting in cities like Los Angeles, Boston, Houston, and Philadelphia. Yet the question remains, what happens when ambition meets bureaucracy and who really bears the Burnt?