Key points
- US has already sent back 1,500 Indians in the financial year 2024
- Trump has pledged to deport undocumented individuals
- Indians are the third-largest group of undocumented immigrants in the US: Pew Research
- New Delhi is open to return of undocumented Indians: Indian foreign minister
ISLAMABAD: There are around 14 million undocumented immigrants, including 725,000 Indians, in the US.
Out of that huge number, the US had already sent back 1,500 Indians in the financial year 2024 under a lenient Biden administration, according to India Today.
With the return of Donald Trump, thousands of illegal Indian immigrants in the US are on the edge of being returned to their home country.
Trump promised a stronger, more aggressive approach, on his first day back in office, to deport undocumented individuals and reinforce US borders.
As a response, many Americans are now reaching out to attorneys and churches for protection.
Third largest group
According to a 2024 Pew Research report, Indians are the third-largest group of undocumented immigrants in the US, following Mexicans and Salvadorans.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) returned around 270,000 immigrants to 192 countries, including India, in 2024, marking the highest level of deportations since 2014. Among those deported, were 1,529 Indians.
Trump, in his inaugural address at the Capitol Rotunda on January 20, outlined a series of executive orders aimed at combating illegal immigration along with declaring it a national emergency.
Protecting America
“One of my most important obligations is to protect the American people from the disastrous effects of unlawful mass migration and resettlement,” Trump stated. “My administration will marshal all available resources to stop this unprecedented flood of illegal aliens into the United States.”
One of my most important obligations is to protect the American people from the disastrous effects of unlawful mass migration and resettlement.” – President Donald Trump
Some Indian H-1B visa holders, from signs of depression and anxiety to not being able to visit their parents, took to social media to discuss how their lives have been hit by uncertainties.
New Delhi’s Stance
Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has said New Delhi is open to the return of undocumented Indians in the United States. His comments came following a meeting with US foreign secretary Marco Rubio in Washington during which illegal immigration was one of the issues discussed, according to Voice of America.
Saying that New Delhi was firmly opposed to illegal migration, he told reporters “We have always taken the view that if there are any of our citizens who are not here legally, if we are sure that they are our citizens, we have always been, you know, open to their legitimate return to India.” He said it is a position India takes with every country.
