Indian Americans were left in a limbo after Donald Trump, who was sworn-in on Sunday as the 47th President of the United States, signed an order aiming to redesign the immigration policy of the country.
What does the exucutive order say? Why are Indian Americans Panicked? Will it turn their life upside down? Read on as we dive deeper to answer these questions.
Let's find out why?
As Donald Trump assummed the office of the President of America for the second time, a landmark in his political trajectory, he gave various executive orders on the first day of his tenure.
Among the executive orders he signed an order targeted at multiple immigration laws, which ignited an intense debate and can face challenges as well.
The orders are aimed to completely redesign the immigration policy of the United States.
Among other controversial executive orders signed by Trump, the birthright citizenship in constrast with the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution is at the peak.
This amendment grants citizenship to all the people who are born in the country as the 14th Amendment states: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside."
However, Trump's executive orders aims to reevaluate this amendment, by declaring that the children of undocumented parents are not eligible for automatic citizenship.
This change in the policy will affect millions of Indian Americans who are living in the USA, and numerous others who are waiting for their green cards for decades.
In the order Trump delineated, "The 14th Amendment has never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States."
The Trump government also mentioned that birthright citizenship is "ridiculous" and they alleged that illegal immigration will be restrained by doing so.
However, the critics avow that this move will marginalise vulnerable communities further and will create uncertainty for immigrant families.
The repercussions of this policy will also have potential disruptions over schools, universities, workplaces, and even entire communities.
After the order is issued, the policy will be put into effect in 30 days.
The greater impact of this policy will be on those Indian Parents who have been using birth tourism to get US citizenship for their children. This tourism where parents travel to America to give birth has been a popular route for Various Indian and Mexican families to achieve citizenship.
Around 5 million Indian Americans are currently living in the US, and are about 1.47 per cent of the population. Among them, only 34 per cent are US born while the rest of the two-thirds are immigrants, according to the US Census Bureau.
Majority of Indians who are working in the US are on the H1-B Visa and hundreds of Indian American children are being born in that land. And as per Trump's order they won't be granted automatic citizenship.
The American Civil Liberties Union expressed their worry about Trump's order, quoting that the 14th Amendment is clear in language with regards to birthright citizenship.
Under Trump's immigration policy, the ACLU further called attention towards the mass deportations, family separations, and many other human rights abuses.
The ACLU released a press release stating, "'Immigrants' rights advocates today sued the Trump administration over its executive order that seeks to strip certain babies born in the United States of their U.S. citizenship."
In this battle of immigration and birthright citizenship, legal challenges play a very critical role in it as the outcome will depend on advocates, lawmakers, and the courts.