Days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s expected visit to the U.S., the Donald Trump administration has started the process of deporting illegal Indian immigrants.
Sources confirmed that a wide-bodied military aircraft took off from the U.S. early on Tuesday morning carrying around 200 Indian nationals.
Official sources here said that the Indian side confirmed the nationality of all the individuals before the U.S. authorities went ahead with the deportation.
Mr. Modi had spoken to President Donald Trump last week following which the White House announced that the Prime Minister was expected to visit Washington DC in February. “We will work together for the welfare of our people and towards global peace, prosperity, and security,” Mr. Modi said after the telephone conversation.
Shortly thereafter, Mr. Trump addressed the issue of illegal immigration from several countries, including India, and said, “He [Mr. Modi] will do what’s right when it comes to taking back illegal Indian immigrants from America.”
The conversation was held against the backdrop of reports that the two sides were in discussion over the presence of at least 18,000 Indian nationals in the U.S. who were being viewed as illegal immigrants by the Trump administration.
‘Clear message’
“The United States is vigorously enforcing its border, tightening immigration laws, and removing illegal migrants. These actions send a clear message: illegal migration is not worth the risk,” a U.S. Embassy spokesperson said here on Tuesday in response to a question on the deportation of the Indian nationals.
Indian sources, however, pointed out that while the deportation of Indian nationals who had landed in the U.S. through dubious means was not new, the use of a military aircraft to carry out the task was a new phenomenon.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security had flown out a “large-frame charter removal flight” on October 22, 2024 carrying Indian nationals who had attempted to enter the U.S. illegally.
In a statement, the DHS had informed that since June 2024, the outfit had “removed or returned” over 1,60,000 individuals and operated around 495 international repatriation flights to “more than 145 countries – including India”.
Tuesday’s exercise indicates a continued dialogue between the Trump administration and the Indian authorities. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had met the new U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, soon after the January 20 swearing-in of Mr. Trump.
Emphasising the policy of the Trump administration regarding illegal immigration, Mr. Rubio said on January 26, “President Trump has made it clear that under his administration, America will no longer be lied to nor taken advantage of. It is the responsibility of each nation to take back their citizens who are illegally present in the United States in a serious and expeditious manner.”
Though Mr. Rubio had made that comment in the context of the U.S.-Colombia war of words over illegal migrants, he made the general context of the remark clear by reiterating that the U.S. was “unwavering” in its “commitment to end illegal immigration.”
Responding to a question from the media regarding the U.S. position, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal clarified last week that India would take back its citizens only after confirming their nationality.
“… Not just in the United States but anywhere in the world, if they are Indian nationals, and they are overstaying or they are in a particular country without proper documentation, we will take them back, provided documents are shared with us so that we can verify their nationality that they are indeed Indians,” Mr. Jaiswal said, adding, “If that happens to be the case, then we will take things forward, we will facilitate the return to India.”
Since the inauguration of Mr. Trump on January 20, the issue of “illegal immigration” has been in the spotlight. It was a major poll plank during his campaign.
Indian sources informed that New Delhi is “duty bound” to take back Indian citizens if they are found to be staying in foreign countries by using illegal means but also pointed out that there is an air of uncertainty within the U.S. over the tough immigration policy and because of defunding of several federally funded projects as a result of the activities of the Elon Musk-led DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency).
It has been learnt that Mr. Modi is expected to reach the U.S. on February 12. He is among a number of foreign leaders like U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba who are scheduled to meet Mr. Trump in the next few days.
Published - February 04, 2025 08:38 am IST
