Indian-American Congresswoman arrested in Washington anti-immigration protest
Washington, June 29: Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal was arrested along with 575 other women during a protest staged here against US President Donald Trump's border and immigration policy.
Jayapal said she was asked to speak at the demonstration called by women at the Hart Senate Office Building on Thursday, reports The Seattle Times.
The civil disobedience was a reaction to the Trump administration's crackdown at the US-Mexico border, including separation of thousands of children from their parents in recent months.
"I decided that I, too, would sit down with them and submit to arrest," Jayapal said. "We chanted and sang and talked about the need to reunite these families and to end the President's zero-tolerance policy."
The women were arrested and charged with unlawfully demonstrating in the Senate office atrium, said Eva Malecki, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Capitol Police.
Jayapal was issued a $50 fine for "crowding, obstructing, or incommoding". It was her third arrest at a protest, the other two occurring years before her 2016 election to Congress.
A longtime immigration-rights leader who founded OneAmerica before running for elected office, Jayapal said she has been outraged and unable to sleep over Trump's "zero tolerance" prosecutions of people crossing the US-Mexico border, The Seattle Times reported.
"I think that every American, Republican and Democrat, just has to try and imagine what that looks like, to have a six-month-old baby taken from your breast," she said.
Jayapal has also helped organise "Families Belong Together" protests set for Saturday, with demonstrations in Washington, D.C., and other cities across the nation.
The Trump Administration launched the so-called "zero tolerance" policy in April, which considers illegal border crossing as a criminal offence, meaning that immigrant minors will be separated from their families, reports Efe news.
Last week, Trump penned an executive order to end family separations at the border due to harsh criticism.
Since then, the US government has reunited 538 children with their relatives, but more than 2,000 minors still remain separated, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security.
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Modi urges industry to ramp up investment, prioritise research to scale up manufacturing
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged industry leaders to step up investments, embrace emerging technologies and prioritise research to help India Inc fully leverage the vast opportunities offered by free trade agreements with various nations.
"The days of cutting corners in research are over. We must now make substantial investments in research and development and ensure that our products meet global quality standards. Now we have got opportunities to move forward, so we should have only one mantra - Quality, Quality, Quality," he said while addressing a second webinar on Budget 2026-27.
Stressing that India has entered into free trade agreements with numerous countries, he said, these agreements have opened up a wide range of opportunities for the country.
"In such a situation, he said, "our responsibility is that we should never compromise on quality."
Today, the world is seeking reliable and resilient manufacturing partners, he said, adding that India has a strong opportunity to fulfil this role.
"Our direction is clear. Our resolve is clear. Build more, produce more, connect more, and now the need is to export more," he said.
Pointing out that a significant transformation is currently underway in the global economy, he said that markets are no longer focused solely on cost; sustainability has become an equally important consideration.
"The Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage Mission is a key initiative driving this shift. Incorporating sustainability into core business strategies is now essential. Industries that invest early in clean technologies will gain better access to emerging markets in the years ahead," he said.
Highlighting the importance of infrastructure and logistics, he said, they serve as fundamental pillars of our growth strategy.
This year's budget proposes a record level of capital expenditure to support these priorities, he said.
As India emerges as a beacon of hope for the world thanks to its robust economy, and as global supply chains undergo transformation, the prime minister said, rapid economic development has become the cornerstone for realising the vision of Viksit Bharat.
