The Indian American story is most often told through the lens of skilled immigration and professional success, but a new report by Professor Devesh Kapur and Abby Budiman reveals a side of that story that rarely gets told. In this episode, host Sital Kalantry speaks with Professor Kapur about the surge in unauthorized Indian immigration over the past several years, the striking data discrepancies between government and independent estimates of the unauthorized Indian population, and what it means that most asylum seekers are coming from Punjab and Gujarat rather than from the communities in India that face genuine persecution. They also discuss the future of both legal and undocumented immigration from India as H-1B fees rise, the immigration courts are dismantled, and the question of reverse brain drain moves from speculation to reality.

Special thanks to our media partner India Abroad.

Produced by Ashini Jagtiani and Shannon Young

Production Partner: Social Sherpa.

On February 28, the United States and Israel attacked Iran, and India found itself in a difficult spot. Nearly half of India's crude oil imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Ten million Indians live and work across Gulf countries. And India's relationships with the US, Iran, and the Gulf states don't point in the same direction. In this episode, host Sital Kalantry speaks with Ambassador (Dr.) Mohan Kumar about whether India's doctrine of strategic autonomy holds up under this kind of pressure, what the disruption of energy supply routes means for an economy that imports 90% of its oil, and what is at stake for the millions of Indian workers in the Gulf.

Special thanks to our media partner India Abroad.

Produced by Ashini Jagtiani and Shannon Young

Production Partner: Social Sherpa.

What do Indian Americans actually think about identity, discrimination, and life in the United States? In the fourth episode of The Hyphen: Indian American Dialogues, host Sital Kalantry is joined by Milan Vaishnav of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to decode the third wave of the Indian American Attitudes Survey. Together they explore the key findings from the research, including why reported discrimination rates remain persistently high, how some community members are quietly changing their behavior in response, and why U.S.-India relations rank lower on the priority list than many might expect. Milan also reflects on what three waves of survey data reveal about a community that continues to grow and evolve in ways that resist easy generalization. It is a rich, data-driven conversation for anyone who wants to understand Indian America on its own terms.

Special thanks to our media partner India Abroad.

Produced by Ashini Jagtiani and Shannon Young

Production Partner: Social Sherpa.