"Technically, he is regarded as an illegal immigrant in India, which sent a high-ranking official in the External Affairs Ministry to see the Karmapa on Thursday, " the paper said.
Agence France-Presse, which described Taft as "assistant secretary for population, refugees and migration administration" in the U.S. State Department, quoted a U.S. Embassy spokesman in Delhi who also said Taft's visit had nothing to do with the Karmapa.