The US Must Treat India's Transnational Repression as a National Security Threat

The Diplomat

7 hours ago

Russia, China, and North Korea have faced extensive scrutiny for targeting critics on U.S. soil. It's time India faced consequences for engaging in the same oppressive behavior.
Russia, China, and North Korea have faced extensive scrutiny for attempting to control critics on U.S. soil. It's time India faced consequences for engaging in the same oppressive behavior. In November 2023, U.S. federal prosecutors in New York announced a stunning allegation that agents tied to the Indian government had conspired to assassinate a Sikh activist on American soil. This followed the June killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, an assassination Canadian intelligence has directly linked to India. These were not rogue operations but part of a broader, disturbing trend of the Indian government exporting its repression of dissent to democracies abroad, including the United States.
A new report by the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) reveals just how extensive this campaign has become. India's ruling Hindu nationalist government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is using its diplomatic corps, intelligence services, and diaspora-linked proxies to surveil, intimidate, and silence U.S. citizens and residents who dare to criticize the Modi government's policies or advocate for the rights of religious minorities in the homeland.
The United States has long held India up as a strategic partner and a fellow democracy. But this relationship cannot come at the cost of compromising core American values, especially the First Amendment right to free expression, which sits at the core of U.S. democracy.
The Modi-led government has crafted a global image of itself as the world's largest democracy, a tech-forward player, and a strategic partner to the United States. Yet beneath that glossy veneer lies a deeply troubling truth that India is actively engaging in transnational repression, targeting its critics in the U.S. with the same impunity it displays at home. It presents a clear threat to U.S. national security and the civil liberties of millions of diasporic Indians.
Out of the 11 transnational repression tactics identified by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Indian authorities have employed at least nine, including assassinations, surveillance, family retaliation, passport revocation, visa denials, and online disinformation.
Consider Masrat Zahra, an award-winning Kashmiri photojournalist now based in the United States. After reporting on human rights abuses in India, she was charged under the draconian anti-terror law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, had her passport revoked while she was in the U.S., and has since watched her family and neighbors in Kashmir endure relentless police harassment.
Angad Singh, an American journalist, was deported from India after producing a documentary critical of the Modi government. His Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card, a status that allows visa-free travel for Indian-origin individuals, was revoked over his critical reporting.
Indian intelligence-linked troll farms and disinformation networks have been waging coordinated smear campaigns against U.S.-based critics, including elected officials. A shadowy, anonymous website, Disinfo Lab, with ties to Indian intelligence has published dozens of false reports labeling US activists and scholars as 'terrorist sympathizers,' 'foreign agents,' or 'anti-national.'
These shouldn't be seen as isolated incidents, but part of a coordinated strategy by the Modi government to control its global image by silencing dissenters, even if it means violating U.S. law and threatening American lives.
As a result, there is widespread self-censorship among Indian Americans, which is a direct affront to the freedoms they came to the United States to enjoy. Many diaspora activists, journalists, scholars, and critics are now avoiding speaking publicly or even maintaining relationships with critics of the Modi regime out of fear for their families back home or for themselves.
These actions mirror those of regimes like Russia, China, and North Korea, which have faced extensive scrutiny for attempting to control critics on the U.S. soil. It's time India faced similar scrutiny, and the United States cannot allow its allies to behave like its adversaries.
When foreign governments can silence speech, intimidate U.S. residents, and export their authoritarianism unchecked, the First Amendment protections become hollow.
The Trump administration should treat transnational repression as one of the top national security threats to the United States. Washington must take this seriously. While the U.S. government pursues strategic partnerships and focuses on shared economic interests, this must not come at the cost of turning a blind eye to authoritarian overreach.
Some U.S. states are beginning to respond. In California, Senate Bill 509, a landmark bill introduced this year, signals a crucial shift in recognizing transnational repression as a domestic threat. The bill aims to equip law enforcement and public institutions to recognize and respond to such threats and set an example for the rest of the country. Arizona has taken a similar step with House Bill 2374, which not only enhances penalties for targeting dissidents but also mandates the state's Department of Public Safety to develop a Transnational Repression Recognition and Response Training Program.
These state-level efforts must be matched by national action. The United States needs comprehensive federal legislation that confronts all forms of transnational repression and protects Americans from harassment simply for exercising their First Amendment rights. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was outspoken about transnational repression while in the U.S. Senate, now has the authority to act decisively. Standing up to authoritarian overreach shouldn't be seen as a geopolitical inconvenience but a constitutional imperative of protecting rights and freedoms of all Americans.