Donald Trump's triumph in the US presidential election has caused ripple effects across the board, throughout the globe, with world leaders scrambling to find a way to work with Trump without triggering any chaos.
Search To Safety
One of the biggest cornerstones of Trump's campaign has been immigration. The president-elect has promised what he has often dubbed 'the largest deportation in history', with an estimated 11 million or more under the radar.
The fear for many is palpable, and that is now being reflected in Google searches, not just in the US but also in India.
In India, the search for 'legal immigration,’ and ‘H1B visa’, two of the crucial aspects for many Indian aspirants, surged. In addition, search for ‘US birth citizenship’ also increased.
Legal Immigration, Stephen Miller
The search, according to reports, was mostly seen in states that often see a large number of immigrants from India. These were the states of Kerala, Telangana & Andhra Pradesh.
In addition to the aforementioned searches, there has also been an uptick for searches for specific results. Some of those searches include terms like ‘Trump legal immigration,’ and ‘legal immigration under Trump’. These searchers, apart from Trump,, were also curious about ‘Stephen Miller’.
Miller is White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy designate. Miller has attained a great level of notoriety for his far-right, hardline rhetoric that he unleashed during the campaign. Miller is one of the biggest proponents of this extreme philosophy of immigration and deportation that has been moved from the fringes of the US political spectrum to the mainstream, making it 'acceptable'.
Search In The US
As for Google searches in the United States are concerned, the focus has been on departing from the United States. Searches for 'How To Leave The US' have been on top.
This could indicate palpable fear amongst regular US citizens and others, potentially undocumented individuals, who may look to leave the United States before they are forced to leave.
The much discussed mass deportation, if undertaken, could be a logistically cumbersome activity with profound fiscal ramifications, running into billions of dollars.