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In a significant crackdown on human trafficking, the United States has deported 54 Indian nationals who entered the country through illegal routes. The group landed in New Delhi on Sunday evening aboard flight OAE-4767 at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. All of them belong to various districts in Haryana. The deportation has prompted Indian authorities to intensify their investigation into the notorious human smuggling network known as the “Donkey Route.” -snip- According to statements from some deported individuals, they were forced to pass through over ten countries, including Guyana, Brazil, Peru, Panama, and Mexico, before being detained at the U.S....

"My feet are swollen. I was shackled for 25 hours (on the flight)," said 45-year-old Harjinder Singh, who was part of the latest batch of Indians deported by the US. Expressing his ordeal, Singh also said he spent Rs 35 lakh to migrate to the US for a better life but his dreams of doing something good for the family are dashed now. The latest batch of illegal migrants included around 50 people from Haryana's Kaithal, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Ambala, Yamunanagar, Jind and Panipat districts, officials said. A plane carrying them landed at the Delhi airport late on Saturday night. The...

The dream of a better life in the US has ended for Harjinder Singh of Jagoli village in Ambala, who was deported on Sunday after being caught for illegal stay. Harjinder, who went to the US in 2021, said he had dreamt of working hard and earning well for his family’s future. But his hopes were crushed when US authorities deported him under the Trump administration’s policy of removing illegal immigrants. “They should have deported us with dignity instead of sending us in chains. We remained in chains for nearly 25 hours. There is swelling in my legs and other...

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a Strategic Partnership Treaty with Venezuela on Monday, formalizing a broad cooperation agreement between the two countries that extends across political, economic, and security domains. The Kremlin said the treaty, first signed in Moscow on May 7, expands collaboration in energy, mining, transport, communications, and counterterrorism. The accord was ratified last week by both chambers of Russia's parliament and earlier this month by the Venezuelan National Assembly, followed by President Nicolás Maduro's signature on October 7. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov called the simultaneous ratification "very important in the current situation," saying...

Vladimir Putin’s wartime economy has been resilient in the face of Western sanctions triggered by his invasion of Ukraine, but it’s hitting a wall and U.S. pressure on the energy sector could cause a recession, according to experts. Massive defense spending has propped up growth, kept factories humming, and pushed unemployment lower, while Moscow has relied on allies like China for goods no longer available from the West. “But the country has exhausted its reserves of manufacturing capacity and manpower,” Alexandra Prokopenko, a fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and former Russian central bank advisor, wrote in Foreign Affairs...

In the video, Harold Weinbrecht, the mayor of Cary, and TJ Cully, the mayor of Morrisville, are seen grooving to the iconic song 'Chunri-Chunri' alongside other performers at an event. Diwali 2025 In America: Diwali, a festival that marks the victory of good over evil and is one of the major festivals in India, illuminates the US cities as the Indian community abroad celebrates the occasion. The festive spirit can also be seen in many countries around the world, with North Carolina, USA, being a glittering example. Two mayors in North Carolina danced their hearts out to the tunes of...

Companies could face probes into their compliance with the H-1B visa program as part of the Trump Administration’s effort to clamp down on the program and force companies to hire more Americans. The Department of Labor announced on Friday that it was launching Project Firewall, an “enforcement initiative” that will investigate employers for potential abuse of the H-1B visa process. The initiative may be the first time the federal government has sought to broadly enforce H-1B legal standards intended to protect both the H-1B employee and American workers, such as paying wages on par with other workers of similar qualifications...

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American colleague Donald Trump discussed in a telephone conversation on Thursday the possible supply of US Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said. During the call, Putin told Trump that Tomahawk missiles would not change the situation on the battlefield, but would harm relations between Moscow and Washington and minimize the chances of a positive settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, according to Ushakov. Furthermore, the official revealed that Trump pledged to take into consideration all of Putin's concerns during his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday at the White...

A growing push in the US to curtail OPT and tax or restrict foreign student work is rattling Indian students. Policy shifts, surprise site visits and H-1B fee changes are shrinking the post-study path in the US. When students finish degrees in the US, they often rely on Optional Practical Training (OPT) to transition from F1 student visas to H1-B work visas and build a career in the US. That safety net is now increasingly under threat. Senator Tom Cotton’s OPT Fair Tax Act was already spelling trouble. Now, Senator Chuck Grassley and others are urging DHS (Department of Homeland...

The number of new FHA mortgages granted to non-permanent residents has dropped to near-zero following the Trump administration’s recent executive orders targeting immigrants, according to new data. In a March 26 letter, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that non-permanent residents in the United States, including H-1B visa holders, would no longer be eligible for mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), effective May 25. The move, the letter said, was in line with President Donald Trump’s “commitment to safeguarding economic opportunities for U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents,” while also ensuring that “federal benefits, including access...

Trump’s staunch supporter and Conservative US leader Charlie Kirk, who died on September 10 after being shot at an event in Utah, just days before his death said that America does not need more visas for Indians. Kirk’s controversial post on X resurfaced in which he said America was “full" and it was time to put “our own people first". The 31-year-old had built a strong following among youth through his posts and podcast. His remarks were termed ‘xenophobic’ by critics who said they undermined bilateral ties and innovation pipelines.

Amid H-1B tensions, two Indian-origin executives, Srinivas Gopalan and Rahul Goyal, rise to top US leadership roles, defying Make America Great Again (MAGA) hardliners and reshaping America's corporate landscape. At a time when the Donald Trump-led US administration is tightening H-1B visa rules, two major American companies on Monday bucked the trend by promoting India-born leaders to top positions. T-Mobile, the US telecom giant, will see Srinivas “Srini” Gopalan, 55, step into the CEO role on November 1. Gopalan, an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad, currently serves as T-Mobile’s Chief Operating Officer and will succeed Mike Sievert, who has led the...

Amid H-1B tensions, two companies, T-Mobile and Molson Coors, have announced their newly elected CEOs—both of Indian origin. T-Mobile appointed Srinivasan Gopalan, and Molson Coors appointed Rahul Goyal as the next CEO. “T-Mobile today announced that it has named current Chief Operating Officer Srini Gopalan as T-Mobile’s next Chief Executive Officer, effective November 1, 2025. Gopalan will assume the role from Mike Sievert, who has been appointed to a newly created management position at T-Mobile, Vice Chairman,” T-Mobile wrote in a statement. In a LinkedIn post, Gopalan shared that he is “deeply honoured” to take on the role of CEO....

Diethylene glycol (DEG) is an organic compound that is commonly used as an industrial solvent in antifreeze mixtures and brake fluids. But, in India, DEG is ending up with worrying frequency where it should never be – in cough syrups for children. The repeated presence of this toxic substance in medicines has had devastating, fatal consequences in India and abroad, while also bringing the country’s lax drug regulatory set-up under intense scrutiny. In the latest instance of such contamination, at least 22 children have been killed since September in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan after consuming Coldrif,...

Nearly one-fifth fewer student visas were issued in August, the same month the Trump administration moved to limit the duration of visas for students, among others. One of the hardest hit were Indians, who saw a nearly 45% plunge in student visa allocations in August. According to news agency AFP, 3,13,138 student visas were issued in the month of August and the total figure was also 19.1% lower than what it was in August 2024. While the Chinese also saw a drop in issuance of student visas, it wasn't nearly as much as Indians, who saw 44.5% fewer student visas...

An Indian Redditor who claimed to be an ex-Amazon employee took to Reddit to share his rant against Indian managers in US workplaces. The post went viral with anti-H-1Bs reveling in the fact that Indians are exposing the toxicity they create in American companies. The Redditor said Indian managers do not hire Americans because they know they can't push them to work 24/7; and Americans won't hesitate to push back if they are made to work extra. Citing the toxic behavior of the Indian managers for leaving Amazon, the person claimed that the real hiring criteria in Walmart is one...

US President Donald Trump's "reckless" proclamation imposing a USD 100,000 fee on H-1B visas is not about protecting American jobs but about "weaponising" immigration policy to advance a "xenophobic agenda", a leading community organisation said. On Friday, the Trump administration announced a one-time USD 1,00,000 fee on H-1B visas. Indian American Impact strongly condemned Trump's reckless order imposing the USD 100,000 fee on H-1B visas and said its "chaotic" rollout sparked panic and chaos, especially for professionals abroad working or visiting family with medical emergencies. The proclamation "is not about protecting American jobs; it is about weaponising immigration policy to...

Trump administration’s MAGA push is gaining traction before the next year’s mid-term elections in America. Two key developments regarding the H-1B visa system are already in place, making it difficult for US firms to hire foreign workers. The introduction of a $100,000 H-1B petition fee for each foreign worker will make it more expensive for US companies, while the second proposal is to launch a wage-based selection process. US companies are being forced to either hire the best-skilled foreign talent by offering a higher salary and the $100k petition fee or hire American workers. After H-1B, the next focus for...

Since President Donald Trump's H-1B visa crackdown, many Indian students who once dreamed of a world-class education, lucrative careers and a better quality of life, are nervous about tougher and more unpredictable U.S. immigration rules. -snip- Bengaluru-based Piyush is a 26-year-old who still wants to do an MBA in the United States. He asked for his full name not to be used, fearing it could affect his visa chances. This is his story: I have been in India all my life. I have studied and worked here and honestly, I have had enough. It is time to go. It is...

American companies and institutions have utilized the notoriously abused H-1B work visa program to staff diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices, according to documents released by Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo. “I’ve reviewed numerous examples of hospitals, universities and other employers hiring foreign H-1B workers as DEI bureaucrats,” Schmitt said on social media. “Examples range from large banks and law firms to universities, healthcare systems, and even municipal park districts. Obviously, DEI positions are plainly non-technical and ideological in nature, and appear to fall outside the ‘specialty occupation’ intent of the H-1B statute.” The senator’s office reviewed H-1B visa applications submitted...