Visa Scrutiny: NRIs To Miss ‘Hometown Sankranti’

Amidst the crackdown on immigrants and Trump administration’s push for self-deportation, immigrants, non-resident Telugus in particular, would miss the Sankranthi celebrations at home.

As the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials are detaining immigrants citing several reasons like lack of proper documents, even naturalized US citizens are confining to homes in the ongoing Christmas holiday season. Many of the immigrants are avoiding both domestic and international trips.

This could mean non-resident Telugus missing Sankranthi celebrations this year. They would miss the fun with their family and friends and this could even prolong for the next four years, as Trump’s anti-immigrant rules implementation could become more stringent.

The annual re-union with the family members would boost the spirit of the NRTs, as they get reconnected with their roots. They would miss all the celebrations, ranging from relishing their favourite dishes to enjoying their favourite sports and meeting their friends. However, this feature would be disrupted in 2026, due to the mounting raids by ICE and scrutiny of visas.

According to a new nationwide survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) in partnership with New York Times, three immigrants in a group of 10, roughly 27% said they had intentionally cancelled their travel schedules, both domestic and international trips, to avoid attracting the attention of ICE officials.

The survey revealed that 32% of H-1B immigrants and 15% of naturalized US citizens admitted avoiding trips for the same reason. Coming to undocumented immigrants, 63% are spending their holidays at home due to the fear of immigration authorities.

With the Trump administration increasing implementation of immigration laws, fear of arrests and scrutiny has increased not just among undocumented residents but among the lawful immigrants and even naturalized US citizens.

Major tech companies also advised their employees not to leave the country unless for inevitable reasons. Trump administration’s rules have made it hard both for the employees and employers to continue with their day-to-day activities due to the uncertainty.