Having survived the grueling U.S. presidential campaign largely unscathed by any vitriol from Donald Trump, India was cautiously optimistic that bilateral relations under a Trump administration would advance without distraction or controversy. Positive initial phone calls between Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, free of the dust-ups of some of Trump’s other engagements with world leaders, raised expectations further.
A little more than 100 days in, the Trump administration has yet to clarify or finalize any changes in U.S. policy toward India or name a new ambassador to New Delhi. But Trump may have already dashed India’s hopes with his hard lines on immigration and foreign workers, which have inadvertently placed India in the crosshairs.
As Trump talks about countering the loss of American jobs overseas and defending America against terrorism, immigration has emerged as the first test for U.S.-India ties in the Trump era.