Indian American Leaders Blast Trump Over Remarks On India, Immigrants
WASHINGTON, DC-Indian American lawmakers and community leaders have strongly condemned remarks by Donald Trump targeting Indian immigrants and India, calling them offensive, divisive and harmful to bilateral ties.
Congressman Ami Bera said he was proud of both his heritage and the United States. “As the son of immigrants from India, I take great pride in both my heritage and in the country that gave my family the opportunity to build a better life,” he said.
He said, “I attended California’s public schools from kindergarten through medical school, became a doctor, and now have the privilege of serving our nation in Congress. That is what the American Dream looks like.” Bera described Trump’s comments as “offensive, ignorant, and beneath the dignity of the office he holds”. He said they reflect “a fundamental misunderstanding of who we are as a nation”.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi also criticized Trump for amplifying what he called a “racist rant.”
“Donald Trump’s decision to amplify a racist rant attacking India and immigrants is disgraceful and beneath the office he holds,” he said. “His rhetoric doesn’t just insult millions of Indian Americans and one of our most important global partners—it undermines the values that have made America a nation of opportunity and innovation,” Krishnamoorthi added. “We should be strengthening that partnership and honoring our diversity, not stoking division for political gain.”
Democratic Party activist Ajay Bhutoria demanded an immediate withdrawal of the remarks. “The rhetoric coming from the Oval Office describing India as a ‘hellhole’ and our professional community as ‘gangsters with laptops’ is a dangerous and offensive distortion of reality,” he said.
Bhutoria said Indian Americans are central to the U.S. economy. “Managers with laptops create jobs, fuel innovation, and contribute to massive economic growth. They are infinitely better for the future of this country than gangsters with guns who promote violence and instability,” he said.
The backlash highlights growing concern among Indian Americans over rhetoric seen as targeting immigrants and undermining a key bilateral partnership ever since the Trump administration came to office. (IANS)
