In a bid to appease the new Donald Trump administration and show willingness to cooperate with a crackdown on illegal immigrants in the United States, India is planning to repatriate its citizens living illegally in the country.
This comes amid Mr Trump’s efforts to deliver on his promise of restricting immigration in the US and to deport all those living in the country without proper documents.
Some 18,000 Indians have been identified for deportation, said a report by Bloomberg quoting unnamed sources. However, the exact number of Indians residing illegally or without proper documentation in the US remains unclear, which could potentially add to the figure.
A Press Trust of India report said as many as 180,000 Indians are living illegally in the US.
The Trump administration’s prompt action on fulfilling his key promise of curbing immigration in the US has all those living illegally in the US and even on temporary visas on edge.
Within hours of taking office, Mr Trump shut down the CBP One app that facilitated legal entry of immigrants into the US by granting them work eligibility and also abolished birthright citizenship. He also declared a national emergency at the US-Mexico border and mobilised troops to restrict entry of illegal migrants.
Indians account for one of the largest diaspora communities in the US. When it comes to the H-1B visa that allows businesses to employ people for specialised jobs, Indians make up a massive percentage. In 2023 alone, Indians bagged three-fourth of the total 386,000 H-1B visas issued, according to official data.
However, in terms of illegal immigration, India falls behind the US’ immediate neighbours such as Mexico and Venezuela.
The reported figure of 18,000 Indians identified for deportation corroborates the numbers shared by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last year. According to data from ICE in November 2024, some 17,940 Indians were among the 1.45 million people slated to be deported. This included individuals with final orders of removal who are not in ICE custody but are awaiting deportation.
The report also mentioned that India ranks 13th among Asian countries contributing to the number of undocumented immigrants. with China topping the chart with 37,908 people.
On Wednesday, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, after a meeting with new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, confirmed that India has expressed its willingness to facilitate the legitimate return of undocumented Indians residing in the US.
He emphasised that New Delhi is currently verifying the identities of those eligible for deportation, stating that the precise number of individuals cannot yet be determined.
“As a government, we are obviously very much supportive of legal mobility because we do believe in a global workplace. We want Indian talent and Indian skills to have the maximum opportunity at the global level,” said Mr Jaishankar. “At the same time, we are also very firmly opposed to illegal mobility and illegal migration.”
He noted that ensuring legal and mutually beneficial mobility is in the best interests of both nations.
“At the same time, I also told Mr Rubio that, while we understand all of this, and I also accept that these are autonomous processes, it is in our mutual interest to facilitate legal and mutually beneficial mobility. If it takes 400-odd days of waiting period to get a visa, I don’t think the relationship is well served by this. He (Rubio) also noted that point,” Mr Jaishankar said.
He further explained that illegal activities often accompany unlawful migration, which can harm a country’s reputation.
“When something illegal happens, many other illegal activities get joined onto it, which is not desirable,” said Mr Jaishankar.
“It is certainly not good reputationally. So, with every country, and the US is no exception, we have always maintained that if any of our citizens are there illegally, and if we are sure that they are our citizens, we have always been open to their legitimate return to India.”
