The US is at a point in time when its citizens are left wondering what next. From asserting that Canada would do better as the 15th state of the USA to looking at bringing Greenland into the fold but the more outrageous Trump plan is to take over Gaza. While the world is shell-shocked by the last proposal – taking over Gaza, the US President says he would ensure that Palestinians are resettled even while his government would build one of the planet’s “greatest and most spectacular developments” there. Trump also emphasized that US troops would not be deployed since the Israel Defence Minister has ordered the military to draft a plan that would allow people in Gaza to leave voluntarily. How this plan of Trump will pan out is anybody’s guess. Questions such as – where the Gazans would go and if they would leave willingly have not been answered. And what happens to the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas of which the first phase ends in early March?
Add to these mercurial decisions are the quick deportation of illegal migrants of which over a hundred were sent back to India, shackled like slaves on an American military plane in a journey that lasted 40 hours. That India’s External Affairs Minister, Jaishankar did not even raise a word of protest to this inhuman treatment of illegal Indian immigrants raises many questions about India’s standing in the comity of nations. India seems to be kowtowing to Trump’s eccentricities. This led to an uproar in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The use of a military aircraft, along with the claims of mistreatment has hit a raw nerve especially since Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit President Trump in Washington shortly. Contrast this with how the Columbian migrants were deported. Columbian President Gustavo Petro barred the US military aircraft from landing in the country alleging that they were treated like criminals. Columbia sent two air force planes to fetch the deported migrants to ensure they are treated with dignity. The incident in fact took the two countries to the brink of a trade war after Donald Trump threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Colombian goods and Petro said he would retaliate in kind. India’s studied silence on Trump’s treatment of India migrants is troubling.
This rapid deportation of illegal migrants is one of the many actions of Trump that could have global repercussions. Add to this the Gaza takeover plan and cutting down on FBI recruitments on the plea that needless employment was created by the Biden administration. Trump came to power after catering to a constituency of voters who invested in his slogan “Make America Great Again,” which meant that Americans deserved first preference over migrant workers, particularly illegal migrants. Trump is following up on his pre-electoral commitments. But whether these volatile decisions and arbitrary actions are going to hurt America in the long run is anybody’s guess. For now, Trump is on a roll.
