‘Not Targeted At India’: Marco Rubio Defends US Immigration Crackdown, Says System Being Fixed Globally

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sought to reassure India over the Trump administration’s tightening of immigration rules, saying the changes are part of a global effort to overhaul the American immigration system and are not specifically directed at Indians, despite their impact on Indian students and skilled professionals.

“From your perspective here in India, it may seem targeted at India, (but) it’s not,” Rubio told The Indian Express in an interview.

Rubio said the Donald Trump administration was attempting to address what it viewed as years of neglect of the immigration system and the alleged misuse of visa programmes. His remarks come amid growing concerns in India over tighter restrictions affecting work visas and increased scrutiny of foreign students and skilled professionals seeking entry into the US.

Rubio Says Illegal Immigration Threatens Legal Migration

Defending Washington’s approach, Rubio argued that illegal immigration and mass migration posed the biggest threats to legal immigration.

“The biggest threat to legal immigration is illegal immigration. The biggest threat to legal immigration is mass migration,” he said, adding that mass migration was “not an Indian phenomenon” and was more closely associated with other parts of the world.

Rubio alleged that 20 million people had entered the US unlawfully during Joe Biden’s four-year presidency. He also claimed that several visa programmes had been abused, citing birth tourism as another practice the administration wanted to address.

The US administration’s tighter immigration measures have raised questions in India about access to American education and employment opportunities, particularly because Indians account for a significant share of applicants in several visa categories.

US Still Wants Indians To Visit, Study And Work

Rubio stressed that Washington continued to welcome people seeking to visit, study, work and invest in the US, provided they complied with American immigration laws.

“We want people to visit the United States. We want people to study in the United States. There are certain people that we want, that want to come work for a time in the United States. We want people to invest in the United States,” he said.

“But we want it done through a system of laws that are complied with,” he added.

Acknowledging why the changes could appear to have a disproportionate impact in India, Rubio pointed to the economic and people-to-people ties between the two countries and the number of Indians applying under particular visa categories.

“Because of the developments, because of the ties between our countries, because of how developed your economy is, there are certain categories of visas that see a large number of Indians applying for,” he told The Indian Express.

Rubio said the administration wanted to establish an immigration system that could remain sustainable over the long term. He argued that fixing the system could ultimately benefit those who use the programmes while serving American interests.

“There is virtually no country on Earth that I visit where I don’t get a complaint about some visa or process, because we are fixing it globally,” he said.

India-US Trade Deal Near Completion, Says Rubio

Rubio’s remarks come as New Delhi and Washington seek to maintain momentum in bilateral relations despite differences over trade, tariffs and energy ties.

Describing the relationship as positive, Rubio said ties with India had become an established feature of American foreign policy.

He also said the two countries were close to finalising a trade agreement, with 99% of the work completed and only weeks, rather than months, remaining to conclude it.

Trade tensions have strained bilateral economic relations, particularly over the Trump administration’s tariff measures and its approach to India’s purchases of Russian oil.

Rubio said the tariffs were not intended to punish or harm India. He argued that Washington was seeking to balance its foreign policy objectives with the need to preserve important partnerships.

Rubio Seeks To Reassure India Over Pakistan Ties

The US secretary of state also sought to allay Indian concerns over Washington’s engagement with Pakistan, saying the US relationship with no country would come at the expense of its ties with India.

His comments underline Washington’s effort to reassure New Delhi on multiple fronts as the two countries navigate immigration restrictions, trade disagreements and broader strategic interests.

While Rubio maintained that the immigration changes were part of a global overhaul rather than a policy aimed at India, the tighter rules remain a concern for Indian students and skilled professionals seeking opportunities in the United States.