New Delhi: The US Tuesday deported many Indians deemed to have been in the country with “no legal basis” as part of its efforts to combat irregular migration and human smuggling. The exact number is not yet known.
Between October 2023 and September 2024, the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) has found 90,415 Indians attempting to enter the country illegally — which makes Indians one of the larger irregularly migrating groups in America.
“Indian nationals without a legal basis to remain in the United States are subject to swift removal, and intending migrants should not fall for the lies of smugglers who proclaim otherwise…The Department of Homeland Security will continue to enforce our nation’s laws,” said Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Deputy Secretary Kristie A. Canegallo in a statement to the press Friday, days after the deportation move.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) statement added that since June 2024, when the Securing the Border Presidential Proclamation and the accompanying Interim Final Rule came into effect in the US, attempts at unauthorised immigration between ports of entry along the southwest border have decreased by 55%.
Since June 2024, the DHS has removed or returned over 160,000 individuals and operated over 495 international repatriation flights to more than 145 countries, including India.
Between October 2023 and September 2024, 43,764 Indians attempted to cross the border from Canada into the US, while 25,616 tried to do the same from Mexico into the south of the US. The remaining Indians likely overstayed their visas or entered the US through its airports.
According to the American authorities, over 1,86,000 Indian nationals have attempted to irregularly migrate to the US in the last two years.
ThePrint has contacted the Ministry of Home Affairs for the number of Indian nationals sent back by the US in the most recent flight. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
In recent years, Indians have attempted to emigrate to the US in record numbers. In 2023, the American authorities categorised 96,917 Indians as trying to enter the US illegally—the highest in a single year since 2021.
According to data published by the American government, in 2021, the number of Indian nationals who attempted to enter the US illegally stood at 30,662. Both in 2023 and 2024, the number was three times that.
Last December, the French authorities grounded a chartered flight consisting of 303 passengers, mostly of Indian origin, in what likely was a case of human trafficking, as reported by ThePrint earlier.
According to the US government, 517 of the Indians who attempted to enter the US illegally this year were unaccompanied minors. But, the vast majority were single adults, with the US authorities putting their number at 78,312.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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