NEW DELHI: The US government has urged India to address concerns regarding "irregular migration" as both countries explored ways to strengthen their strategic partnership, particularly in areas such as critical and emerging technologies, defence cooperation, energy, and promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific region during the meeting between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Washington.
The meeting on Tuesday at the State Department was the first bilateral engagement for Rubio, seen as a China hawk and an ardent advocate of India-US relationship following his swearing-in as the 72nd US Secretary of State.
The State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Secretary Rubio and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar affirmed a shared commitment to continuing to strengthen the partnership between the United States and India.
Two leaders discussed at length the ways to expand the strength and scope of their relationship as both sides look at a possible meeting between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a 'mutually convenient, earliest date.' Illegal and irregular migration has remained a key issue for Trump campaign.
"Secretary Rubio also emphasized the Trump Administration’s desire to work with India to advance economic ties and address concerns related to irregular migration," the spokesperson said.
In October last year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deported over 1,100 Indian nationals as part of its broader efforts to target unauthorized migration. Across the globe, 495 repatriation flights returned 160,000 individuals to 145 countries, including India.
India has long maintained that it supports legal migration. "We have regular dialogues with the United States on migration and mobility. And the idea behind that is to create more avenues for legal migration," the external affairs ministry had reiterated then.
Though there have been talks about illegal Indian migrants facing deportation, the next steps such as verification of their identities haven’t taken place—which might get speeded up then.
But the meeting indicated by and large continuity in the bilateral cooperation. The Trump administration is also keen on continuing with cooperation in emerging and critical technologies, a high point of India-US relationship in Biden-Modi era.
After the meeting Jaishanakar said he was "delighted to meet Rubio for his first bilateral meeting after assumption of office as Secretary of State."
The minister said in a post on social media platform X that he reviewed the “extensive bilateral partnership, of which Rubio has been a strong advocate” and “exchanged views on a wide range of regional and global issues.”
Jaishankar, who represented India at the Trump inauguration said he is looking “forward to closely working with Rubio to advance our strategic cooperation.”