California missed a chance to make people of Indian descent safer from foreign aggressors

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently vetoed what would have been landmark legislation aimed at protecting Californians from transnational repression when foreign governments target diasporic communities and expatriates living in other countries.

Newsom’s decision is a missed opportunity to help Californians feel safer, especially the state’s large South Asian community, which for years facing intimidation and violence organized by India’s Hindu nationalist government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The The FBI defines transnational repression such as when foreign governments “reach beyond their borders to … harm members of their diaspora and exile communities in the United States.” It can include stalking, harassment, abusive legal practices, online misinformation campaigns, assault and even murder.

A a quarter of the world’s governments use repressive tactics to silence critics living outside their borders, according to the rights group Freedom House. While countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran and China are notable culprits, India is becoming infamous as one of the only democracies engaging in acts of aggression against Indian expats.

Last year, a bipartisan group of members of the US Congress co-authored a resolution which named India among the main perpetrators of foreign abuse.

India’s Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Modi, which seeks to transform the country from a secular democracy to A Hindu majority countryhas long relied on intimidation and violence to silence dissent within its borders. In recent years, he has been credited with assassination attempts that have extended beyond India’s borders. The most striking examples happened in 2023 with fatal shooting in Canada of a Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijar, founder of Sikhs for Justice and attempted assassination of Sikh American activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York.

Members of the Indian diaspora in the US – particularly Sikhs, Muslims and Dalits – have faced international restrictions for years. There have been many refused visas or had an overseas citizen of India canceled cards as political retribution. (The card allows foreign nationals of Indian origin to visit India without a visa.)

Others who have criticized the Government of India have suffered coordinated disinformation and hate campaigns led by Networks linked to Indian intelligenceas well as of referral to family members at home threats of violence and on suspension of their social media accounts and websites in India.

Even U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat representing Seattle and a fierce critic of the Modi regime, has publicly worried that it could be forbidden to visit his parents in India because of her outspoken stances.

All of this affects California because it is the home of the nation the biggest Indian population. Last year, for example, several Sikh Americans in Fremont reported attempted murder when someone fires at them from unmarked vehicles on a highway.

The Indian government has also presented misinformation about aim and smear civil rights groups fighting for protected Californians from caste discrimination. Indian consulates, including one in San Francisco, have reportedly sought to limit the travel rights of critics of the Modi government, sometimes ordering the deportation of US citizens from India and sharing intelligence gathered on US-based individuals with Indian authorities.

These are exactly the safety risks that Senate Bill 509 is designed to address. But Newsom’s veto would strip prosecutors of the tools they need to hold accountable the perpetrators of these global attacks on Californians. By rejecting the training bill’s mandate, Newsom left law enforcement agencies ill-equipped to identify and respond to such attacks, especially when they are instigated by US-based groups.

California had the chance to take a historic stand against foreign repression. Instead, Newsom’s decision sends a troubling message about the state’s commitment to safety and accountability. The fight against transnational repression is just beginning, but his veto will be remembered as a setback, a missed opportunity for Californians affected by this growing danger.