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Indian Express
13 minutes ago
- Indian Express
For Indians, the American dream is getting more and more out of reach
Written by Savita Patel The Donald Trump administration's controversial executive order ending birthright citizenship nationwide was blocked by a fourth court last week. Nevertheless, hundreds and thousands of foreign citizens residing and giving birth in the US remain in a state of uncertainty as a result. Citizenship has been granted to anyone born in the US for over a century, irrespective of their parents' immigration status, as per a legal principle in the US Constitution. The presidential order aims to deny that to children born after February 20 to temporary foreign workers. Within days of the first announcement, several federal judges blocked the order nationwide, which meant the rule could not be enforced until the lawsuits were decided. But the administration appealed to the Supreme Court. As the primary legal case that addresses the merits of Trump's birthright citizenship order continues, on June 27, the Supreme Court curtailed the power of lower courts to issue nationwide injunctions while upholding the ability of plaintiffs to seek a stay through class-action lawsuits. Finally, on July 10, certifying a nationwide class 'comprised only of those deprived of citizenship', a judge in a New Hampshire court indefinitely blocked Trump's order, before District Judge Deborah Boardman in Maryland did the same on August 7. Caught amidst a flurry of lawsuits and counter-challenges, millions of foreign citizens who live, work and study in the US are uncertain about the nationality of their newborns. Will the US passports being issued to these infants hold if the administration wins the legal battles? Birth certificates issued in the US have information about parents, place and time of birth, but do not mention the nationality of a newborn. Unlike foreign-born immigrants applying for naturalisation or citizenship, there is no formal process or US nationality application for a child born in the country. A US birth location established in the certificate is adequate to apply for an American passport. Even as the lower courts continue to block the thwarting of a constitutional birthright, foreign citizens are wondering if the passports issued to their children might be withdrawn if the US Supreme Court decides to uphold the executive order, as the case makes its way through this year. Historically, laws in the US are not implemented retroactively. Of all foreign US residents, Indians in the US, the second-largest immigrant block, are disproportionately impacted by the challenges to birthright citizenship. Trump's order mentions that children born in the US to lawful permanent residents can receive US citizenship. Indians face the longest queue compared to any other foreign nationality to be granted permanent residency or a green card, an important step in the path to citizenship. The population of Indians in the US has more than doubled in the last two decades, significantly contributed by the large share of H1-B work visas going to them — 72 per cent annually. But the proportion of green cards accorded to them remains at the 7 per cent annual country cap, which has created a decades-long bottleneck. Comparatively, most other nationals receive permanent residence within a year. There are more than 1.1 million Indians in the green card queue. As per the Cato Institute, over 4,00,000 of them face a 134-year wait. If the wait for permanent residency for Indians were at par with immigrants from other countries, most of the Indians in the green card queue would have been granted their citizenship by now and avoided the current uncertainty regarding their US-born children's birthright citizenship. To avail the time window the legal blocking of the order offers and mitigate being stripped of the opportunity due to any potential legal developments, couples are promptly applying for US passports for their newborns but are holding off overseas travel, fearing increased vigilance at the borders. A community so far perceived positively in the US, which refers to itself as a 'model minority' with its highest median income and education levels of all demographic groups, Indians in the US are feeling a tightening immigration landscape. Along with a long wait for green cards, citizenship and the AI-related uncertainty of steady jobs in the tech sector, they are now unsure of the one guarantee: Birthright citizenship for their US-born children. But despite the evolving policies and rising scrutiny, the US continues to be an attractive economic destination for Indians and other foreigners. Career opportunities, education standards, and the lifestyle it offers to families continue to drive hundreds and thousands of Indians to stay on in the US, even though the pursuit of their American dream is becoming more complex. Patel is an author and producer working on diaspora affairs, based in the United States
Mint
13 minutes ago
- Mint
Rupali Ganguly's hard-hitting post over SC's order on stray dogs: 'Rabies is tragic, but removing street dogs is...'
Television actress Rupali Ganguly has voiced strong opposition to the Supreme Court's recent directive ordering the relocation of all stray dogs in the Delhi-NCR region to shelter homes. The Anupamaa star said the move ignores the cultural, spiritual and community roles these animals have played for generations. Taking to X on Tuesday, Rupali wrote, 'In our traditions, dogs guard Bhairav Baba's temple and are fed on Amavasya for blessings.' She added that strays have long protected neighbourhoods, guarded shops, and acted as an early warning system against thefts. 'Removing them suddenly is like silencing an alarm before a fire,' she said. According to the actress, shifting strays to distant shelters is 'not kindness, but exile.' She stressed that these animals are 'not strangers but part of Indian faith, culture and community safety,' and called for their care through vaccination and feeding, rather than displacement. In another post, Rupali addressed concerns about rabies but said that mass removal of street dogs was 'a reaction born of fear, not compassion or wisdom.' She further wrote, 'Rabies can be eradicated, as proven by cities worldwide, through mass vaccination and sterilisation, not through breaking the spirits of animals by caging them away. Uprooting them from their territories will create more chaos, more dog fights, and even more risk of disease as new unvaccinated animals move in.' The actress further added, 'The Earth is indeed for all, and that 'all' includes the voiceless beings God placed here alongside us. Justice is not about choosing between lives, but about finding a path where all can live without fear. Let us act with faith, compassion, and foresight, not haste.' The Supreme Court's ruling, passed on Monday, directed local bodies to capture and transfer every stray dog in Delhi-NCR to designated shelters, ensuring none escapes. The verdict has drawn sharp criticism from animal welfare groups, activists and citizens who believe it disregards the natural role strays play in urban life.
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First Post
13 minutes ago
- First Post
The tale of Minta Devi, the ‘124-year-old' who has become the face of opposition's protest at Parliament
Several Opposition MPs, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, protested the alleged 'voter theft' linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar at the Parliament complex on Tuesday. What caught the eye was that the leaders wore white T-shirts bearing the face of Minta Devi, a 35-year-old woman listed as a 124-year-old in the draft voter roll read more Opposition MPs caught plenty of attention as they staged a protest with matching white T-shirts printed with the face of a woman named 'Minta Devi'. On the back, the shirts carried the words '124, Not Out' in bold. Several Opposition leaders, including Congress' Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, joined the protest at the Parliament complex on Tuesday, which targeted what they allege is 'voter theft' linked to Election Commission's (EC) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Minta Devi's photograph, first shown by Rahul Gandhi during a presentation on alleged voter list manipulation, has quickly become a rallying image in the Opposition's campaign. So, who is Minta Devi? What is her connection with the Opposition's voter fraud allegations? Here's a closer look at the story Who is Minta Devi? According to Election Commission records, Minta Devi is listed as a 124-year-old first-time voter in Bihar's Daraundha Assembly seat, under the Siwan Lok Sabha constituency. Her polling station is recorded as the Kanya Utkramit Madhya Vidyalaya in Arjaanipur. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other INDIA bloc members protest at the Parliament complex, wearing t-shirts that read '124 NOT OUT' after a voter, Minta Devi, allegedly listed as a 124-year-old, was seen on the electoral roll. (Instagram/ @incindia) Her name surfaced in political debates soon after the EC completed its SIR of electoral rolls in the poll-bound state. Rahul Gandhi cited her case as part of what he alleges is a 'fake' draft voter list, saying the Opposition's T-shirts were worn to expose such irregularities. Congress MP KC Venugopal took a sharp dig at the EC, saying, 'The Election Commission has done a great service to humankind. They discovered the oldest living human, Minta Devi, whose age is listed as 124 years in the Bihar SIR. The mega voter fraud done by the EC can never be allowed. INDIA will keep protesting until it is stopped.' Congress leader Pawan Khera also joined and wrote on social media, 'We proudly nominate Minta Devi for the Guinness World Record: the youngest looking oldest human in India – courtesy the several miracles of ECI.' #WATCH | Delhi: INDIA bloc leaders continue to protest over the alleged voter fraud and SIR issues. MPs were seen wearing T-shirts featuring the name Minta Devi, a voter allegedly listed as 124 years old in the Election Commission's voter list. — ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD For context, the BBC recently reported that the world's oldest living person is Ethel Caterham of Surrey, England, who is 115 years old. In the EC records, Minta Devi's birth date is July 15, 1900, making her nine years older than Caterham. 'This isn't just a clerical error- it's proof of mega voter fraud. INDIA will keep protesting until this is stopped,' said Congress MP Manickam Tagore. NDTV had reported that it had traced Minta Devi in Bihar and found she had mistakenly written 1900 instead of 1990 as her year of birth on her voter registration form. That means, she is not 124 years old but 35. Minta Devi. Age 124. Born 1900. Still voting in Modi's 'New India'. This isn't an election — it's a séance.#InternationalYouthDay2025 Minta Devi#ChunaavChori #VoteChori Assam — 𝘼𝙢𝙞𝙩 (@AmitYji127) August 12, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD At the Parliament protest asked about Minta Devi, Rahul replied: 'Picture abhi baaki hai (There is more to come).' While a poll body official told NDTV that her age was changed due to an error in her application form, there was no clear explanation for how such an error could survive an exercise meant to clean up the rolls. Opposition protests 'voter fraud' in Bihar Opposition MPs have stepped up their agitation against the revision of Bihar's electoral rolls, accusing the EC of carrying out 'vote chori' to 'disenfranchise voters' ahead of the state assembly elections later this year. The protest, staged in front of Parliament's Makar Dwar, saw participation from senior Opposition leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Derek O'Brien, TR Baalu, Mahua Moitra, and Supriya Sule. The leaders say the SIR of the voter list is riddled with irregularities. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to the Election Commission, a voter named Minta Devi is aged 124 years! The INDIA bloc MPS wore 'Minta Devi' t-shirts and protested against #VoteChori — INC Andhra Pradesh (@INC_Andhra) August 12, 2025 The Election Commission has rejected these allegations, arguing that the revision is necessary because the SIR has not been conducted regularly since 2004. According to poll body officials, many 'non-eligible persons' have obtained voter cards over the years, and some people, knowingly or unknowingly, hold multiple voter IDs from different constituencies. So far, the Commission has received 10,570 forms from individual electors seeking to add their names to the draft roll. The list remains open for claims and objections from the public and political parties until September 1. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The dispute has spilled over into Parliament. On Monday, proceedings were disrupted as Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and several other INDIA bloc MPs were detained during a march from Parliament to the Election Commission's office. Since the Monsoon session began on July 21, both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have struggled to carry out normal business, with the SIR row and discussions on Operation Sindoor dominating the agenda. With input from agencies
