From Irish migrants to Indian techies: Why America keeps fighting over immigration

Apr 28, 2026 | 15:01 IST

Today’s immigration battles in the US echo older fights over race, labour, security and belonging. How have these waves reshaped the country across nearly 250 years?

In April 2026, US president Donald Trump reposted a rant that described babies born to immigrants from “China or India” as instant citizens from “hellholes”, and dragged birthright citizenship, skilled migration and Indian-Americans into the same political storm — language that India called “uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste”.

But the outrage is not new. America’s immigration debate has always moved in cycles: newcomers arrive, anxieties rise, politics hardens, and the rules of belonging are rewritten. Here’s how that fight has played out over nearly 250 years.

TOI

TOI

From Irish migrants to Indian techies: Why America keeps fighting over immigration

Today’s immigration battles in the US echo older fights over race, labour, security and belonging. How have these waves reshaped the country across nearly 250 years?

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TOI

From Irish migrants to Indian techies: Why America keeps fighting over immigration

Today’s immigration battles in the US echo older fights over race, labour, security and belonging. How have these waves reshaped the country across nearly 250 years?

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