Two months after Taj Mahal featured on US' 'self deportation' ad, Marco Rubio visits monument

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is on a four-day trip to India, visited the Taj Mahal on Monday and described the monument as 'one of the love treasures of the world'. He arrived on a special aircraft around 10 am, travelled by car to a hotel at Taj Mahal's eastern gate and proceeded in a golf cart to the monument. Like most visitors, Rubio and his wife also sat on the iconic 'VIP bench' in front of it and posed for a picture. Over the years, the bench has hosted many foreign dignitaries, including the UK's Princess Diana, her son Prince William and his wife Kate, US Vice President JD Vance, Ambassador Sergio Gor, and more.

Rubio visited Taj just about two months after Taj Mahal was featured on the United States' Homeland Security's infamous 'self deportation' ad. The ad, which said 'self-deport through the CBP (Customs and Border Protection) Home app,' also said 'You can go home with a fresh start. Receive a free lift home and a $2,600 exit bonus when you use CBP home to self-deport.' The ad had received widespread backlash about the symbolism and cultural imagery. Questions were also raised on whether the image was used to target any specific community.

'Thank You For allowing us to visit one of the love treasures of the world,' Rubio wrote in the visitors' book of the Taj Mahal. Security was tightened in the area during his visit, and tourists already inside the monument complex were temporarily asked by security personnel to move out, officials said. A few days ago, cracks had appeared on the Taj Mahal's Shahi Darwaza, or royal gate, reportedly due to the harsh weather. While it's extremely hot in the Agra region now, it had experienced heavy rains and storms a while back. The 17th-century monument is one of the oft-visited sights by foreign dignitaries whenever they visit India. In 2024-25, it was also India's most-visited ticketed monument, bringing in 6.9 million tourists, despite a more than 5% decline from earlier years.

Tips to visit Taj Mahal
a) The monument charges Indian tourists ₹50 for base access and ₹450 for the main mausoleum access. Tickets can be purchased from Taj's gate as well as from Uttar Pradesh's tourism portal. The government had recently warned tourists against fake portals selling tickets to visit the Taj.

b) The best time to visit is early morning, if keen to avoid large crowds and groups of tourists. The monument opens half an hour before sunrise and closes half an hour before sunset every day. The ticket counter opens an hour before sunrise.
c) Taj Mahal is closed for tourists on Fridays.