In what is being seen as playing down the comments, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday described the United States as a “welcoming country” and termed racist remarks against Indians as comments made by “stupid people”.
During a press conference in Delhi on Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was questioned about ‘racist comments’ made in the US against Indians and Indian-Americans.The journalist who asked Rubio the question was likely referring to a controversial social media post shared by Donald Trump, which featured a transcript describing India and China as ‘hellholes’. Indian officials had called the comments ‘uninformed’ and ‘in poor taste.’
It was unclear whether Rubio knew what comments the journalist was referring to. However, in his response, he criticised such comments.‘Every country in the world has stupid people that make dumb comments,’ he said. Rubio said he doesn't takes such comments seriously while stressing that immigrants have played a major role in strengthening the US economy and society.
“Every country in the world has stupid people. I’m sure there are stupid people here. There are stupid people in the United States who make dumb comments all the time,” Rubio said while responding to a question on racist comments targeting Indians in the US.
“The United States is a very welcoming country. Our nation has been enriched by people who come to our country from all over the world, become Americans, assimilate into our way of life and contribute greatly,” he added. Highlighting the contribution of the Indian community, Rubio said, “Over 20 billion dollars have been invested in the US economy by Indian companies. We want that number to continue to increase.”
On recent changes affecting J1, F1 and H1B visas, Rubio clarified that the ongoing immigration reforms were not aimed specifically at India but were part of a broader global overhaul of the US migration system.“The changes that are happening now, or the modernisation of our migration system into the United States, is not India-specific. It is global,” Rubio said.
He said the US had faced a “migratory crisis” over the past few years, with over 20 million people entering the country illegally, making reforms necessary.Calling the US “the most welcoming country in the world for immigration”, Rubio noted that nearly one million people become permanent residents in the country every year. He also referred to his own family background, saying his parents migrated to the US from Cuba in 1956.
Rubio acknowledged that reforms in the immigration system may create “friction points” during the transition period, but expressed confidence that the modernised system would eventually become more efficient and beneficial, including for skilled Indian professionals seeking opportunities in the US.
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