US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that “stupid people exist in every country” on Sunday when he responded to questions over recent racism against Indians by some Americans.
Rubio was responding to questions at a joint press conference with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi.
He said that while such concerns must be taken seriously, the offensive comments did reflect broader American society.
“I’m sure that there are people that have made comments online and other places, because every country in the world has stupid people. I’m sure there are stupid people here; there are stupid people in the United States, that make dumb comments all the time,” Rubio said.
Rubio also highlighted contributions made by Immigrants in the US, including the Indian diaspora.
“The United States is a very welcoming country,” he said, adding that America had been strengthened by people from around the world who became part of the country and contributed to its growth. “Our nation has been enriched by people who come to our country, have come from our country, from all over the world, have become Americans, have assimilated into our way of life, and it’s contributing," he said.
Acknowledging the economic role of the Indian community in the US, Rubio said, “I accept what you just said about the contribution that Indians have made in the US economy, over USD 20 billion. We want that number to continue to increase.”
Rubio and Jaishankar were engaged in delegation-level talks at Hyderabad House in New Delhi amid the ongoing diplomatic talks between the US and India.
The discussion was focused on strengthening the partnership between the countries.
Rubio also responded to questions regarding the recent visa and immigration changes, saying.
“The changes that are happening now, or the modernisation of our migration system into the United States, are not India-specific. It is global, it’s being applied across the world,” he said.
He said that the US had a migration crisis with more than 20 million people entering the country illegally.
“It is not a system that is targeted at India. We think ultimately our destination is going to be a better system,” he said.