Indians slam MAGA ‘war’ over H-1B skilled visas as ‘racist’

印度人抨擊MAGA對H-1B技術(shù)簽證的“戰(zhàn)爭”為“種族主義”

As the top recipients of H-1B skilled worker visas, Indians have been incensed by MAGA criticism of the program.

作為H-1B技術(shù)工人簽證的主要接收者，印度人對MAGA對該計劃的批評感到憤怒。

The so-called “civil war” among supporters of President-elect Donald Trump over H-1B visas this past week has sparked a sharp reaction and accusations of racism by commentators in India, where these visas for skilled workers are in high demand.

過去一周內(nèi)，圍繞總統(tǒng)當(dāng)選人唐納德·特朗普支持者之間的H-1B簽證“內(nèi)戰(zhàn)”引發(fā)了印度評論員的強(qiáng)烈反應(yīng)，并指責(zé)這種行為是種族主義。在印度，H-1B簽證對技術(shù)工人需求極高。

Newspaper columns and social media posts decried what they characterized as a “racist” backlash against legal Indian workers in the American high-tech industry, following criticism of the visa program by far-right activists in the United States, such as Laura Loomer.

報紙專欄和社交媒體帖子譴責(zé)這種被認(rèn)為是針對美國高科技行業(yè)合法印度工人的“種族主義”反對聲音。這種批評來自美國極右翼活動人士，如勞拉·盧默（Laura Loomer）。

“The rising power, wealth, and visibility of Indian-Americans made it perhaps inevitable that the nativist base would direct its anger at the Desi [Indian] community. What Loomer and her ilk have done is open the floodgates for this anti-Indian racism,” said an article in the Hindustan Times.

《印度斯坦時報》的一篇文章寫道：“印度裔美國人的崛起、財富和可見性，使得本土主義者的憤怒指向德西（印度）社區(qū)幾乎不可避免。盧默和她的同類所做的是為這種反印種族主義打開了閘門?！?/b>
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In its Saturday editorial, the English-language daily Deccan Herald slammed Trump’s supporters for not recognizing foreign contributions to the U.S. economy.

《德干前哨報》在周六的社論中批評特朗普的支持者沒有認(rèn)識到外國人才對美國經(jīng)濟(jì)的貢獻(xiàn)。

“They respond to the call to make America great without, ironically, realizing that it was the foreign talent at work in the US that had once made America great,” said the paper, which is distributed in southern tech hubs such as Bangalore. “The H-1B visa is a tool and symbol of that idea.”

“諷刺的是，他們響應(yīng)‘讓美國再次偉大’的號召，卻沒有意識到正是曾經(jīng)在美國工作的外國人才讓美國偉大過，”這家在班加羅爾等南部技術(shù)中心發(fā)行的報紙寫道?！癏-1B簽證是這種理念的工具和象征?！?/b>

The Times of India and the Hindustan Times called the debate “a red-hot potato” and “a new chapter of racism against Indians” in their headlines and warned of its long-term implications for the relationship between the two countries. Digital news sites were less subdued and decried “America’s corrosive politics” for the “explosion of racism.”

《印度時報》和《印度斯坦時報》在頭版標(biāo)題中將這場辯論形容為“燙手山芋”和“針對印度人的新種族主義篇章”，并警告其對兩國關(guān)系的長期影響。數(shù)字新聞媒體更加直言不諱，譴責(zé)“美國腐蝕性的政治”引發(fā)“種族主義的爆發(fā)”。

For decades, the H-1B program has allowed hundreds of thousands of computer programmers and other high-skilled workers from India to work in the United States on a temporary basis. In 2023, Indians made up more than 70 percent of all H-1B workers, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data.

幾十年來，H-1B項(xiàng)目讓數(shù)十萬名來自印度的計算機(jī)程序員和其他高技能工人在美國短期工作。根據(jù)美國公民和移民服務(wù)局的數(shù)據(jù)，2023年，印度人占所有H-1B工人的70%以上。

Critics of the program say it has failed in its original purpose of attracting the most highly skilled labor and is mainly used by tech companies to avoid hiring Americans in favor of lower-paid workers from abroad.

批評者認(rèn)為，該項(xiàng)目未能實(shí)現(xiàn)其吸引最高技能勞動力的初衷，主要被科技公司用于規(guī)避雇傭美國人的責(zé)任，以雇傭薪資較低的外國工人。

Trump adviser Elon Musk has heavily used the program for his companies and maintained that the United States does not produce enough skilled tech workers, prompting former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley to call on the tech industry to “invest in our education system.”

特朗普的顧問埃隆·馬斯克大量使用這一項(xiàng)目為他的公司服務(wù)，并堅(jiān)持認(rèn)為美國本土缺乏足夠的高技能技術(shù)工人。這促使前共和黨總統(tǒng)候選人尼基·黑利呼吁科技行業(yè)“投資于我們的教育系統(tǒng)”。

The issue even resonated with long-standing Trump opponents such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), who railed against the program’s “widespread corporate abuse” last week.

即便是長期反對特朗普的政界人士，如佛蒙特州無黨籍參議員伯尼·桑德斯，上周也批評了該項(xiàng)目的“廣泛的企業(yè)濫用”。

Indian commentators on X responded by sneering at the shortage of science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates in the United States. Several painstakingly dissected the American economy to show how the country needs to keep importing labor.

印度網(wǎng)民在社交平臺X（前推特）上嘲諷美國理工科畢業(yè)生短缺，并詳細(xì)分析美國經(jīng)濟(jì)以證明該國需要繼續(xù)引進(jìn)勞動力。

During a news briefing Friday, a spokesman from India’s Ministry of External Affairs said, “India-U.S. economic ties benefit a lot from the technical expertise provided by skilled professionals, with both sides leveraging their strengths and competitive value.”

印度外交部發(fā)言人在周五的新聞發(fā)布會上表示：“印度-美國經(jīng)濟(jì)關(guān)系極大地受益于技術(shù)專家提供的專業(yè)知識，雙方都在利用各自的優(yōu)勢和競爭價值。”

The Indian government has seized on the export of skilled labor as a patriotic issue, portraying it as a source of rising Indian power on the global stage. Past Indian leaders once lamented this exodus as a brain drain.

印度政府將輸出技術(shù)勞動力視為愛國問題，認(rèn)為這是印度在全球舞臺上不斷上升的力量來源。過去的印度領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人曾為這種人才流失（大腦外流）感到惋惜。

Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally took up the cause of H-1B workers in multiple meetings with President Joe Biden during his term.

總理納倫德拉·莫迪在與美國總統(tǒng)喬·拜登的多次會晤中，親自提及H-1B工人的問題。

With Trump himself coming out in favor of the H-1B program, the controversy in itself is unlikely to cause major friction in the U.S.-Indian relationship in the short term. It does, however, reveal the growing belligerence among right-wing supporters of the respective administrations in the two countries and the shrinking space for nuance in discussions on complex issues such as immigration.

盡管特朗普本人支持H-1B項(xiàng)目，但爭議本身在短期內(nèi)不太可能對美印關(guān)系造成重大摩擦。然而，這揭示了兩國政府右翼支持者之間日益增長的對抗情緒，以及在移民等復(fù)雜問題上討論空間的不斷縮小。

Tanul Thakur, a New Delhi-based independent journalist and author of a forthcoming book about the H-1B program titled “Wild Wild East,” rued the “woefully bad” media reporting on an issue that he insisted is economic, and not about civil rights.

駐新德里的獨(dú)立記者、即將出版一本關(guān)于H-1B項(xiàng)目的書《狂野的東方》的塔努爾·塔庫爾（Tanul Thakur）批評媒體對這一問題的報道“非常糟糕”，并強(qiáng)調(diào)這不是民權(quán)問題，而是經(jīng)濟(jì)問題。

“I am a brown guy and I was an H-1B worker for two years, so you can take it from me,” he said, criticizing the program for exploiting Indian IT workers with low-wage jobs compared to American employees.

“我是棕色人種，我曾在H-1B簽證下工作兩年，所以你可以聽我的意見，”他說。他批評這一項(xiàng)目通過與美國員工相比低薪的工作剝削印度IT工人。

Thakur said the visa system harms both American tech workers, who lose out on jobs, and Indian H-1B visa holders, who remain stuck in a relatively low-wage trap for years clinging to the hope of obtaining green cards. He chided the mainstream Indian news media, which used to be vocal about the “brain drain” until the late 2000s, for failing to get to the bottom of the issue because of its nationalist stance.

塔庫爾指出，這種簽證制度既損害了失去工作的美國技術(shù)工人，也讓印度H-1B簽證持有人陷入相對低薪的困境多年，抱著獲得綠卡的希望。他還斥責(zé)印度主流新聞媒體的民族主義立場，認(rèn)為其未能揭示問題的本質(zhì)，而這種立場在2000年代末之前還是直言不諱的。

“Everything in the big newspapers and television channels on H-1B is largely about the image of India’s IT prowess because it is the biggest story from the last few decades that we like to tell ourselves,” Thakur said. “But like many stories, it is mired in self-deception.”

“關(guān)于H-1B的大型報紙和電視報道，基本上都在講述印度IT實(shí)力的形象，因?yàn)檫@是我們過去幾十年里喜歡講述的最大故事之一，”塔庫爾說?！暗驮S多故事一樣，它充滿了自欺欺人?！?br />