The Indian Panorama

Tag: Kristi Noem

  • CAPAC Chair Meng Calls on Trump Administration to Reverse Visa Suspensions for 75 Countries

    CAPAC Chair Meng Calls on Trump Administration to Reverse Visa Suspensions for 75 Countries

    NEW YORK (TIP): Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Rep. Grace Meng (NY-06) joined 74 of her colleagues in calling on Secretary Marco Rubio and Secretary Kristi Noem to reverse course on their decision to indefinitely halt immigrant visa processing for 75 countries.

    On January 21, the Trump administration suspended immigrant visa processing for applicants from 75 countries, including more than a dozen countries in Asia. The U.S. visa suspension affects immediate relatives of U.S citizens as well as all family-sponsored, employer-sponsored, religious worker, diversity, and returning resident visas. 44 percent of Asian immigrant visa holders—over 135,000 individuals—will be affected by this policy change.

    “The Trump administration’s decision to halt visas for nearly 40 percent of the world is ignorant and xenophobic. They have the audacity to tell immigrants to come here the ‘right way,’ while deliberately closing legal pathways that make that possible,” said Rep. Grace Meng, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. “This cruel policy leaves immigrants—who have been thoroughly vetted and have waited years to lawfully enter the United States—stuck in limbo. I join my colleagues in demanding that the administration reverse this decision immediately.”

    The indefinite pause will block nearly half of all legal immigrants from entering the U.S. over the next year. Individuals from the affected countries represent 40 to 45 percent of all immigrant visas. With no clear timeline for resuming processing, the suspension will undoubtedly separate families, prohibit individuals who have completed the necessary steps to legally come to the U.S., and harm small businesses by stifling their growth.

    The State Department justified the move by claiming foreign nationals from the impacted countries may be more likely to seek federally funded public benefits in the United States and become a “public charge,” despite longstanding restrictions that already prohibit immigrant visa recipients from accessing said benefits.

    This decision is part of a broader and intensifying crackdown on legal immigration pathways by the Trump administration. Some of the countries targeted by the new immigrant visa ban, including Afghanistan, Laos, and Myanmar, already face partial or full restrictions on nonimmigrant visas. Other Asian and Pacific Islander nations were recently added to the expanded visa bond program that requires recipients of nonimmigrant visas, such as tourists and business travelers, to pay up to $15,000 to secure their visa. These financial barriers will make it nearly impossible for relatives overseas to visit family members in the United States.

    In September, the Trump administration abruptly announced a $100,000 fee on new H-1B skilled worker visa applications, disproportionately impacting Indian professionals who make up the majority of H-1B holders and leaving many scrambling to return to the U.S from visiting family. The administration has since moved to expand social media screening for H-1B and H-4 applicants, extending visa stamping delays through 2027 and leaving thousands of Indian workers and families stuck overseas.

    The administration has also revoked more than 100,000 visas, attacked birthright citizenship, halted all asylum decisions, and even canceled naturalization ceremonies for those on the verge of gaining U.S. citizenship.

    The letter was signed by 75 Members of Congress, including CAPAC Chair Grace Meng, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke, Reps. Ritchie Torres, Yassamin Ansari; Gabe Amo; Wesley Bell; Shontel M. Brown; André Carson; Greg Casar; Sean Casten; Kathy Castor; Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick; Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr.; Jim Costa; Danny K. Davis; Debbie Dingell; Diana DeGette; Rosa L. DeLauro; Mark DeSaulnier; Nanette Diaz Barragán; Adriano Espaillat; Veronica Escobar; Dwight Evans; Sylvia R. Garcia; Al Green; Adelita S. Grijalva; Jimmy Gomez; Pablo José Hernández; Jahana Hayes; Chrissy Houlahan; Eleanor Holmes Norton; Robin L. Kelly; Jonathan L. Jackson; Raja Krishnamoorthi; Sydney Kamlager-Dove; Zoe Lofgren; George Latimer; LaMonica McIver; Sarah McBride; April McClain Delaney; Betty McCollum; Gregory W. Meeks; Kweisi Mfume; Gwen S. Moore; Kevin Mullin; Jerrold Nadler; Eleanor Holmes Norton; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Chellie Pingree; Brittany Pettersen; Mark Pocan; Ayanna Pressley; Jimmy Panetta; Mark Pocan; Seth Moulton; David Scott; Brad Sherman; Halley M. Stevens; Darren Soto; Suhas Subramanyam; Eric Swalwell; Rashida Tlaib; Shri Thanedar; Dina Titus; Lori Trahan; Marc A. Veasey; Juan Vargas; Debbie Wasserman Schultz; Nydia M. Velázquez; and Bonnie Watson Coleman.
    For Full text of the letter, visit www.theindianpanorama.news

  • Outrage in NYC after ICE agent in Minneapolis shoots fleeing woman dead

    Outrage in NYC after ICE agent in Minneapolis shoots fleeing woman dead

    NEW YORK (TIP): New York elected officials and immigrant advocate groups are reacting with horror and outrage after an ICE agent shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis during an immigration crackdown.

    Video circulating online appears to show a female driver blocking the path of federal agents on the roadway with her SUV. When one agent attempted to open the door of the vehicle, the driver looked to pull away — leading a second agent to draw their gun and fire. The woman was shot three times and died, according to preliminary reports.

    “Oh my God,” a voice could be heard screaming off screen.

    DHS officials allege that the unnamed driver attempted to mow down the federal officer, with Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security Secretary, calling it “domestic terrorism” — without providing any proof to back up such a claim.

    “An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots,” a statement by DHS read.

    Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz responded on social media by instantly denouncing the official narrative.

    “I’ve seen the video. Don’t believe this propaganda machine. The state will ensure there is a full, fair, and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice,” Walz wrote.

    Meanwhile, New York elected officials are echoing Walz’s sentiments. U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman, who has been an outspoken critic of ICE tactics in Manhattan’s immigration courts, also took to social media to express outrage to Miller.

    “We’re done with your gaslighting @stephenm. Even if the officer were run over, it’s not domestic terrorism. But as you can see from the path of the car after she was shot, she was trying to drive away. You are inciting untrained thugs to murder Americans. This is on you,” Goldman wrote.

    Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the shooting during an unrelated press conference late Wednesday afternoon in which he called it horrific.

    “We know that when ICE agents attack immigrants, they attack every single one of us across this country. And this is a city that stands up for immigrants across the five boroughs, and I have made it clear to everyone within my city government, and that extends to NYPD, that we are going to uphold our sanctuary city policies,” Mamdani said. “We are going to adhere to that. That is why one of the 11 executive orders that we signed was to repeal the previous administration’s order to allow for collaboration with ICE on Rikers Island.

    The mayor also pledged not to aid immigration enforcement in any way, including making certain the NYPD does not aid ICE.

    “What we are going to be doing is following the laws that we have set, laws which have kept New Yorkers safe, and we are going to make it clear to each and every person in the city what their rights are. That’s why we took the time to make a Know Your Rights video, because it goes back to the earlier question, if you don’t know of your rights, then how can you be expected to actually use those rights?” Mamdani said. “So, we are going to take every opportunity we have to inform New Yorkers of what they already can do, and also to make it clear to our own city government agencies and departments across the board, including NYPD, that we are not here to assist ICE agents in their work. We are here to follow the laws of New York City.”

    amNewYork also reached out to New York Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who has also pushed back on ICE operations in the Big Apple.

    “ICE has a total disregard for public safety, and human life. Because of Trump’s reckless, lawless deportation agenda, today a woman was shot to death. And in 2025, 32 human beings died in ICE custody. The Department of Homeland Security is making everyone less safe,” Williams said.

    State Senator Jessica Ramos, who serves a massive immigrant population in Jackson Heights, Queens, spoke to amNewYork about the fatal shooting.

    “ICE relies on fear, chaos, and enforcement tactics that treat entire communities as suspects and creates the conditions for tragedy. Now a woman is dead and we all saw it. We need less muscle memory and more rule of law, restraint, and accountability,” Ramos said.

    It wasn’t only New York politicians who fumed over the fatal shooting. Immigration advocates also let loose.

    Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO of New York Immigration Coalition, charged that this is the next step in ICE escalation.

    “Today’s news from Minneapolis is a tragedy and marks a violent escalation in ICE’s tactics and the state’s repression of political dissidents. Let’s be very clear: ICE and the federal agents are the ones sowing chaos and violence in our cities — and are now killing people who oppose their fascist abduction program. “This tragedy did not happen in a vacuum. It is the direct and predictable result of a federal agency that has been allowed to operate with impunity, secrecy, and unchecked force.”
    (Source: amNewYork)

  • Marriage to a US citizen no longer guarantees Green Card

    Marriage to a US citizen no longer guarantees Green Card

    While spouses of American citizens are eligible to apply as immediate relatives, officials now focus on whether the marriage is genuine and entered into in good faith

    NEW YORK (TIP): Marriage to a US citizen no longer guarantees a Green Card, as US immigration authorities are applying stricter scrutiny to marriage-based applications. While spouses of American citizens are eligible to apply as immediate relatives, officials now focus on whether the marriage is genuine and entered into in good faith.

    Immigration experts stress that cohabitation is a key factor, and couples who do not live together face a higher risk of investigation or denial, regardless of the reason for living apart. These measures are part of broader efforts to tighten US immigration policies and prevent marriage fraud.

    Below are the key points

    Marriage alone is not enough to secure a US Green Card, warns immigration attorney Brad Bernstein.

    Spouses of US citizens are classified as “immediate relatives” and are eligible to apply, but approval is not automatic.

    USCIS is applying stricter scrutiny to marriage-based Green Card applications under the Trump administration.

    Genuine marriage is the main focus, not just legal documentation.

    Cohabitation is crucial: Couples are expected to live together full-time as husband and wife.

    Living separately raises red flags, even if separation is due to work, education, or financial reasons.

    US immigration officers do not consider reasons for living apart, only whether the couple actually shares a home.

    Marriages without daily cohabitation are more likely to face investigations, tough interviews, or denial.

    USCIS evaluates the “totality of the relationship” to determine if the marriage was entered in good faith.

    Legally valid marriages can still be denied if officials believe the intent was to bypass immigration laws.

    Broader immigration tightening includes suspension of the Diversity Visa Lottery and reduced work permit duration.

    Married couples living apart are advised to seek legal guidance before filing a Green Card application.

    Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said: “At President Trump’s direction, I am immediately directing USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program.”

     

  • Trump suspends green card lottery programme that let Brown University, MIT shootings suspect into U.S.

    Trump suspends green card lottery programme that let Brown University, MIT shootings suspect into U.S.

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): President Donald Trump suspended the green card lottery programme on Thursday, December 18, 2025, that allowed the suspect in the Brown University and MIT shootings to come to the United States.

    Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a post on the social platform X that at Mr. Trump’s direction she is ordering the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the programme. “This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country,” she said. The diversity visa programme makes up to 50,000 green cards available each year by lottery to people from countries that are little represented in the United States, many of them in Africa.

    Nearly 20 million people applied for the 2025 visa lottery, with more than 131,000 selected when including spouses with the winners. After winning, they must undergo vetting to win admission to the United States. Portuguese citizens won only 38 slots.

  • Indian scholar self-deports after US revokes visa

    Indian scholar self-deports after US revokes visa

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian national and a doctoral student at Columbia University, has voluntarily left the United States after her visa was revoked for allegedly “advocating violence and terrorism.”

    In a statement on Friday (local time), US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said that Srinivasan, a student in Urban Planning at Columbia University, self-deported using the CBP Home App.

    “Today, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced that one of the Columbia students who had her student visa revoked for advocating for violence and terrorism self-deported using the CBP Home App and ICE arrested a Palestinian student for overstaying her expired F-1 visa,” according to a release by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The US Department of State revoked Srinivasan’s visa on March 5, alleging her involvement in “activities supporting Hammas.”

    “Ranjani Srinivasan, a citizen and national of India, entered the United States on a F-1 student visa as a doctoral student in Urban Planning at Columbia University. Srinivasan was involved in activities supporting Hammas, a terrorist organization. On March 5, 2025, the Department of State revoked her visa. The Department of Homeland Security has obtained video footage of her using the CBP Home App to self-deport on March 11,” the release stated.

    Additionally, Secretary Noem said that holding a US visa is a privilege.
    “It is a privilege to be granted a visa to live & study in the United States of America. When you advocate for violence and terrorism, that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country. I’m glad to see one of the Columbia University terrorist sympathizers use the CBP Home app to self deport,” she wrote in a post on X.

    In a related case, another student, Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian from the West Bank, was arrested by Immigration and Custom Enforcement ICE HSI Newark officers for overstaying her expired F-1 student visa. Her visa terminated on January 26, 2022, for lack of attendance, according to the release.

    Previously, in April 2024, Kordia was arrested for her involvement in pro-Hamas protests at Columbia University in New York City, the release added.
    (Source: ANI)