Trump 2.0’s impact on desis
The second Trump administration promises sweeping changes, including with H-1B visas and the nation’s overall immigration system.
Issue #86
Hi all —
I just finished reading Shilpi Somaya Gowda’s latest novel, “A Great Country,” which among many things, reminds us how Indian American communities are not immune from challenges that many other minority populations face in the U.S.
President Donald Trump’s flurry of executive orders over his first 10 days includes actions that will impact many South Asian Americans, including with trying to eliminate birthright citizenship, shaking up the H-1B visa program and ramping up deportations (Indians are among the largest undocumented populations in the United States). South Asian Americans who are students, women, LGBTQ, federal workers, military personnel, professionals who use federal grants, or professionals who work on or participate in DEI initiatives are also already impacted.
There will also be South Asian Americans who might reap what they believe are benefits from the U.S.’s new direction, including a possible extension of Trump 1.0 tax cuts (many provisions currently expire at the end of 2025), more tolerance for Islamophobia and fewer regulations for businesses.
Trump has nominated or named several desis to top spots in his administration, including some with colorful backgrounds:
Kash Patel for leading the FBI
Patel is a known conspiracy theorist about the “deep state” and promoted misinformation about the January 6 insurrection.
Jay Bhattacharya for the National Institutes of Health
Bhattacharya was a vocal critic of COVID lockdowns.
Harmeet Dhillon for the Department of Justice’s civil rights program
Dhillon promoted Trump’s lies about 2020 election fraud.
Kush Desai for deputy press secretary
Desai once worked for the Tucker Carlson-founded right-wing news site The Daily Caller. Carlson, a former Fox News host, infamously has defended the British colonization of India.
Vivek Ramaswamy has stepped aside from DOGE (the new Department of Government Efficiency) for a possible run for Ohio governor. Some reports allege DOGE partner Elon Musk was annoyed with Ramaswamy’s outspokenness (which Ramaswamy has denied, instead saying they had “different and complementary approaches”). MAGA folks also didn’t like Ramaswamy’s candid social media comments about mediocrity in American culture.
Of course, there’s also one indirect choice, the vice president’s wife, Usha Vance, who Trump praised about to supporters on Inauguration Day: “The only one smarter than [JD] was his wife. I would have chosen her but somehow the line of succession didn’t work that way.”
So how do people feel about a second term?
In December, an AAPI Data/AP-NORC survey questioned a representative sample of 1,045 Asian Americans about what they anticipated with a second Trump administration. Some interesting findings, including:
More trust local and state governments than the federal government.
More are “fearful” and “angry” than “satisfied” and “excited” about Trump’s second term. Interestingly, more U.S.-born Asians said they were “fearful” of this second term than foreign-born Asians. Japanese and Indian Americans indicated the most fear. But AAPI Data notes the fear factor could change for immigrant Asians with Trump’s actions on birthright citizenship and immigration.
Only a third favor key Trump priorities, including shrinking the federal workforce and drilling for oil on federal land. About a quarter favor more tariffs on Chinese imports and rolling back federal investments in clean energy. Just 14% said they’d support pardoning the January 6 insurrectionists.
A majority (68%) have little confidence Trump can pick good people for his cabinet and other high-level positions.
A majority have little confidence Trump will lower the costs of health care (71%), housing (68%) and groceries (63%).
The main rights and freedoms respondents felt are most under threat, in order: abortion/reproductive rights, freedom of the press and freedom from unreasonable search & seizure.
Immigration was the top issue of concern. Asian communities are split on supporting mass deportations, with Korean, Filipino and Chinese Americans showing the highest support among Asian groups for mass deportations.
Overall, more Asian Americans polled favor Trump these days than previously (37% in this 2024 poll vs. 27% in 2023) — but the majority still doesn’t like him. Among Asian groups, Filipinos are most supportive of Trump.
So what’s next?
It’s still the early days of the Trump 2.0 administration, but as commentator Ezra Klein recently pointed out, Joe Biden’s final actions as president and Trump’s unilateral behavior have both redefined rules and expectations of presidential power in the U.S. Klein argues that while political corruption is nothing new, we are in a new political era, complete with an oligarchy in the open.
“We talk about America’s system of government as if it is a solid thing, bound by the Constitution and institutions, the way a belt cinches around a waist. But it’s really just a pile of norms in a trench coat. Knock the norms down and everything changes.” —Ezra Klein
More to come in the following weeks, months… and years.
In the meantime, as Washington turns its back to the United States’ legacy of being a nation of immigrants, comedian Rajiv Satyal shares Indian immigrants’ impact in America (share on Instagram):
Thanks for joining the conversation,
Vignesh
P.S.: Continuing to think about RWB readers in the Los Angeles area who are facing the aftermath of horrific fires. Check out the LA Times’ list of how to help those impacted. 🙏🏾
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