New Delhi: As the US began flying out migrants and expanded fast-track deportation authority on President Donald Trump’s orders on Friday (January 24), India reiterated that it was “premature” to speculate on the number of Indian illegal immigrants who might return, as it depended on the verification of their nationality by Indian authorities.
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump declared illegal immigration a national emergency and introduced a series of restrictive measures, including involving the US military and proposing limits on birthright citizenship.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday that the Trump administration had deported “hundreds of illegal immigrant criminals via military aircraft.” She described the effort as “the largest massive deportation operation in history” and stated that it was “well underway.”
The Trump Administration also deported hundreds of illegal immigrant criminals via military aircraft.
The largest massive deportation operation in history is well underway.
Promises made. Promises kept.
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) January 24, 2025
In another post, she wrote, “President Trump is sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences”.
According to Reuters, a US official disclosed that two US military aircraft, each carrying approximately 80 migrants, had flown from the United States to Guatemala.
During the first bilateral meeting between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the issue of illegal migration was raised by the Trump cabinet member.
Later, Jaishankar emphasised that India has consistently been willing to take back illegal immigrants if they are verified as Indian nationals. He noted that this longstanding policy is not exclusive to the United States.
The Ministry of External Affairs reiterated this position during its weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Friday (January 24).
“For Indians, not just in the United States but anywhere in the world, if they are Indian nationals, and they are overstaying or 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,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
When asked about the number of Indians facing deportation, he replied, “At this point in time, any talk about numbers is premature.”
As per governmental data obtained by Fox News late last year, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) listed 17,940 Indians in the US (but not in its custody) who were served final removal orders, while 2,647 Indian nationals were detained as part of its enforcement and removal operations in 2024. In total, ICE said it deported 1,529 Indians last year.
