H-1B Changes Enforced; Indian Media Falsely Reports Raids on Gurdwaras

Significant changes to the highly sought-after H-1B visa program have officially taken effect as of 17 Jan, aiming to enhance fairness, transparency, and efficiency in hiring foreign talent in the US. The revamped H-1B program, announced by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and overseen by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), seeks to streamline the approval process and offer greater flexibility to employers, enabling them to retain skilled employees more effectively. Notably, Indian nationals represent a substantial majority of H-1B visa holders, accounting for 72.3% of the 386K visas issued in 2023. India—with over 700K undocumented Indians in the US as of 2022—also faces growing anxiety over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown (WD Vol 3, Issue 2, Story 9). In 2023 alone, about 90K Indians were arrested attempting to enter the US illegally. While these are official changes, on 27 Jan, the Indian media started projecting a false news that the DHS has begun visiting Gurdwaras in New York and New Jersey to check for illegal immigrants, sparking concern among Sikh organisations. Kiran Kaur Gill, Sikh American Legal Defence and Education Fund’s executive director, expressed alarm that such actions can raise on immigrant communities. The Sikh Coalition warned that surveillance and raids could deter attendance and hinder religious practices. However, by 28 Jan, the news was roundly denied. Davinder Singh Boparai, president of the managing committee of the Gurdwara Sikh Cultural Society Richmond Hill in New York, said, ‘No such raid has taken place.’ Sukhjinder Singh Nijjar, who represents Coastal Northeast at the Sikh Cultural Society and is the chairman of its public and media committee attributed the misreporting to 'some sort of misunderstanding and miscommunication' and 'just basically word of mouth type of thing that' gets spread with no basis in fact.