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Marco Rubio and S Jaishankar Discuss US Immigration and India Relations

Monday, May 25, 2026
5 min read
Marco Rubio and S Jaishankar Discuss US Immigration and India Relations

Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, talked to India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday. The main theme was the massive migration issues the US has been dealing with. Rubio made it clear, though, that this crisis wasn't tied to India. Washington is just trying to fix its immigration system, that’s what he stressed.

This conversation happened in New Delhi. They were talking about changes in US visa rules and Green card policies.

Jaishankar brought up India’s worries. India felt that legal movement shouldn't get messed up by stricter rules. He emphasized that the connection between the two countries—the people-to-people stuff—is still super important. Especially for technology, business, and research.

Before Rubio arrived, things had already been shifting in the US. The Citizenship and Immigration Services had put out a directive. Foreign nationals applying for Green cards had to apply from their home countries. Even though that guidance got softened later, it already caused some worry among Indian professionals. They make up a big chunk of the skilled workforce in America.

When they addressed the press later, Rubio admitted there were some bumps. Friction points. He said the whole immigration system was going through a difficult transition. But he insisted the long-term aim was building something more efficient, something that worked for everyone involved.

He pushed back hard when people started talking about discrimination against Indians in the US. Rubio rejected the idea that the policy changes were aimed specifically at any one country. He argued that these reforms were happening everywhere, globally. Not targeting India.

“We’ve had a migration crisis in the United States,” he said. “This is not because of India, but broadly.” He added that over twenty million people had entered the country illegally in recent years.

Rubio also pointed out that the US is still one of the most welcoming places for immigrants. He highlighted how much foreign-born citizens contribute to American society.

There were other threads running through the relationship, too. Rubio’s trip to India came over five weeks after Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had visited Washington D.C. for three days. That trip was about trying to settle things after a period of real uncertainty and strain between the two nations.

Relations took a real dip recently. Washington imposed heavy tariffs on India. Plus, President Trump made some really controversial statements about his role in stopping the India-Pakistan military clashes back in May.

Over the following months, the US president kept publicly claiming he had settled the military conflict and saved millions of lives, saying it was heading toward a full-scale war.

New Delhi, on the other hand, was firm. They maintained that the fighting stopped because of talks between India and Pakistan. The US involvement had zero connection to that.

Still, the immigration policy changes and the decision to increase the H1B visa fee definitely contributed to the slide in ties between the two countries.

But both sides tried to fix things in the last few months. They both aGreed they needed to work on it. There was a push to sort out a mutually beneficial trade deal soon.

Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board

Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.

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