Western media regularly revile and vilify China and Russia. And it has been the case for some time now. You will have read stories of economic malaise, authoritarianism, unfreedom, oppression – in fact, all the ills of this world are abundantly found in the two countries.
I am surprised that India too is painted darkly as well.
And this year, it seems, the figures have spiked. Since the beginning of the 2022 fiscal year that started last October, a record 16,290 Indian citizens have been taken into US custody at the Mexican border. The previous high of 8,997 was recorded in 2018.
Experts point to a number of reasons for the increase, including a climate of discrimination in India, an end to pandemic-era restrictions, a perception that the current US administration is welcoming to asylum seekers and the ramping-up of previously established smuggling networks.
While some migrants are coming to the US for economic reasons, many are fleeing persecution back home, said Deepak Ahluwalia, an immigration lawyer who has represented Indian nationals in California and Texas.
The latter group range from Muslims, Christians and "low-caste" Hindus to members of India's LGBT community who fear violence at the hands of extreme Hindu nationalists, or supporters of secessionist movements and farmers from the Punjab region, which has been shaken by protests since 2020. Conditions for many of these groups have deteriorated in recent years, so-called international observers say.
Therefore, if you believe this BBC report, India is a bedevilled country – and it is driving its citizens to leave en masse!
Incredulously, the writer ended the said article with an admission from one migrant, 34-year-old Jashan Preet Singh: "I would always fear for my life. Since I have been here, I have never felt such a thing".
Wow, he’s actually saying the US is a safe place, compared to India! What irony!
P.S. Photos that accompanied the BBC article:
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