US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday defended Washington’s newly announced immigration rules that would require many migrants already living legally in the United States to return to their home countries and apply for permanent residency or Green Cards from there.
Speaking in an interview with NDTV after holding high-level discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, Rubio insisted that the policy changes were part of a broader global immigration reform effort by the administration of Donald Trump and were “not about India.”
“Well, it’s not about India. It’s about the whole world,” Rubio said while responding to concerns regarding the impact of the new policy on Indian nationals living in the US.
“The United States has taken a decision that it needs to streamline and improve our system of immigration,” he added.
Rubio further argued that the United States had recently experienced what he described as a “serious migratory crisis” involving large-scale undocumented migration and alleged misuse of immigration pathways.
“The fact of the matter is, and I think every country would understand it, again, this is not about India. This is a global situation that we're dealing with. Our country, unfortunately, faced a very serious migratory crisis a few years ago,” Rubio stated.
According to him, more than 20 million undocumented entries into the United States had occurred in recent years, prompting the Trump administration to overhaul and tighten immigration procedures across multiple categories.
Rubio acknowledged that reforms of such scale would inevitably create temporary disruptions and inconvenience for applicants already living in the United States.
“Any time you reform a system, there’s going to be some disruptions, some hiccups and some inconvenience,” he said.
However, he maintained that the new framework would eventually become more stable, efficient, and beneficial for both immigrants and the United States.
The remarks came a day after the Trump administration announced a major change to Green Card processing procedures through new guidance issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Under the revised policy, migrants who are temporarily residing in the United States on visas — including students, temporary workers, and tourists — will generally be required to return to their home countries to apply for permanent residency instead of completing the process while staying inside the US.
The policy is expected to significantly affect Indian nationals, particularly because Indians form one of the largest groups of H-1B visa holders and employment-based Green Card applicants in the United States.
According to USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler, adjustment of status within the United States will now largely become an exceptional measure rather than the standard route.
“From now on, an alien who is in the US temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances,” Kahler said while explaining the new guidelines.
The USCIS memo additionally clarified that nonimmigrant visa categories were never intended to automatically function as pathways toward permanent residency.
“Nonimmigrants, like students, temporary workers, or people on tourist visas, come to the US for a short time and for a specific purpose,” the memo stated.
“Their visit should not function as the first step in the Green Card process.”
The revised rules are expected to create major uncertainty for thousands of Indian students, technology professionals, and H-1B visa holders who have traditionally relied on adjustment-of-status procedures while living and working in the United States.
Despite concerns regarding delays and disruption, Rubio argued that the long-term outcome would ultimately improve the immigration process for Indian applicants.
“Indians who seek to come to the United States are going to find themselves with a system that, in the long run, is going to prove to be more efficient and more effective,” he said.
Rubio’s comments came during his ongoing three-day visit to India, which has included discussions with Indian leaders on trade, security, immigration, energy cooperation, and developments in West Asia.
During his meeting with PM Modi at Seva Teerth, Rubio also formally conveyed an invitation from President Donald Trump for the Indian Prime Minister to visit the White House in the near future.
The immigration issue has emerged as a particularly sensitive subject in India-US relations because of the large Indian-origin population in the United States and the heavy dependence of Indian technology professionals on American work visa programmes.
Observers believe the new policy could reshape how Indian students and skilled workers approach long-term migration plans to the United States, especially amid growing uncertainty surrounding visa pathways, residency rules, and employment-based immigration reforms under the Trump administration.
