Tue Jan 21 18:34:04 UTC 2025: ## Trump’s Inauguration Day Actions Spark Concerns in India

**NEW DELHI, January 21, 2025** – US President Donald Trump’s first day in office has triggered alarm in India following the signing of an executive order potentially impacting thousands of Indian professionals and the announcement of steep tariffs on BRICS nations.

The executive order revokes “citizenship by birth,” a move that could affect Indian workers in the US on temporary visas such as H-1B, many of whom hoped to establish families there. Additionally, Trump’s stated intention to impose a 100% tariff on BRICS countries engaging in non-dollar transactions directly targets India, a member of the economic bloc. He mistakenly included Spain in his list of BRICS nations. Further fueling Indian concerns, Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants could affect an estimated 725,000 Indians, with nearly 18,000 facing deportation.

In response to these developments, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with newly inaugurated US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This meeting, Rubio’s first with a foreign dignitary, focused on addressing these concerns, along with discussions on strengthening the India-US strategic partnership and planning for a future Quad summit in India. The meeting followed a gathering of Quad foreign ministers, including those from Australia and Japan.

The prominent placement of Jaishankar at the inauguration, seated ahead of his Australian and Japanese counterparts, and the prioritization of the Quad meeting by Secretary Rubio, are seen as significant signals of the continued importance of the Indo-Pacific partnership and a direct response to China’s growing influence. This is especially noteworthy given Trump’s outreach to China, including an invitation to President Xi Jinping to attend the inauguration. Rubio, known for his hardline stance on China, has been sanctioned by Beijing for his criticism of their human rights record. He reiterated his strong anti-China views during his recent confirmation hearing.

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