How India should leverage migration governance in an era of rising anti-Indian racism

In a bygone America, Indian migrants were considered a “model minority”. Any Indian who worked hard and kept her head down was welcome. Indian immigrants were broadly perceived as industrious and good at maths. But today, even Indians migrants in the US and other parts of the Western world cannot escape racism.

In September, far-right American trolls targeted Indian migrants with a campaign they called “clog the toilet”. After US President Donald Trump changed the rules for H1-B work visas (about 70% of which are held by Indians), the trolls urged Americans to log on to travel sites and put India-US flights in their online carts, without completing the booking.

They were aiming to block seats on these routes, sullying the plans of frantic Indians on H1-Bs flying back to America overnight.

While anti-immigrant sentiment seems particularly virulent in an increasingly polarised America, the US is a magnified version of a phenomenon that is also occurring elsewhere.

Since July, massive anti-immigration protests have swept the UK, Australia, and Poland. The ominous tenor of some protests is particularly worrying. One investigation found that the March for Australia protests were under the clandestine control of neo-Nazi groups.

Migration today is a tug-of-war between two forces. While anti-immigrant racists call for fewer immigrants, their countries are often in need of immigrants to fill job shortages, as their populations...

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