Deportation of Indian nationals under Donald Trump
The Trump administration has been deporting undocumented immigrants of Indian origin since the first presidency of Donald Trump. According to Pew Research Centre, undocumented immigrants of Indian origin made up the third-largest demographic in the US after Mexicans and Salvadorans in 2024. In February 2025, Indian agency Enforcement Directorate began investigating 4,300 Indians suspected of entering the US illegally between 2021 and 2024.
On 5 February 2025, the US deported 104 Indian nationals on a military plane. This drew criticism from the political opposition in India. The deportation also attracted attention within the United States and elsewhere.
Background
[edit]According to the Pew Research Center, there are an estimated 725,000 Indian nationals living in the US illegally, making them the third largest group after the nationals from Mexico and El Salvador.[1]
In 2023, 96,917 Indians were "caught or expelled" at the border, followed by 63,927 in 2022 and 30,662 in 2021. Aspiring immigrants from Punjab and Gujarat have used an immigration technique known as "Dunki" to illegally enter the United States. The practice continues despite fears of deportation under the new Trump administration.[2][3]
A study at the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) found that the number of asylum seekers from India in the U.S. increased from 9,000 in 2018 to 51,000 in 2023, a rise of 466%. Since the US immigration system allows foreigners arrested at the border to request asylum , these requests highlight a trend of increasing illegal immigration to the US.[4] The number of Indian nationals arrested for illegal border crossings in the U.S. rose from 1,000 in 2020 to 43,000 in 2023, a rise of 4,200% .[5]
In 2023, Indian outlet Newslaundry investigated an expensive route from Gujarat to the US. Agents took a fee between Rs 40 lakhs to Rs 1.3 crore for illegal immigration into the US. Numerous have died trying. The investigation, found that some NRIs, hailing from Gujarat, acted as financiers for illegal immigrants from India for subsequently hiring them below the minimum wage. It took the concerning undocumented immigrants to work for three to four years in order to pay their dues.[6] In February 2025, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) announced that it had begun investigating at least 4,300 Indians suspected of having unlawfully entered the US between 2021 and 2024.[7]
Trump's first presidency (2017-2021)
[edit]South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) estimated about 20,000 Indians feared deportation from the US after Donald Trump repealed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme in 2017.[8]
About 570 Indian nationals were deported to India in 2017, 790 in 2018, and 550 in the first 6 months of 2019.[9] On average, 1,550 Indians were deported annually during Trump's first term in the office. [10]
Trump's second presidency (2025-present)
[edit]Following the inauguration of Donald Trump, the Indian government under Narendra Modi announced that they would take back about 18,000 Indian nationals who are living in the US illegally.[1]
On 13 February 2025, Indian PM Narendra Modi said during a press conference that "we have always said that those who are verified and are truly the citizens of India – if they live in the US illegally, India is ready to take them back".[11][12]
Some Indian students were reported to have been quitting part-time jobs in the US due to fear of deportation.[13] The students reported the increased scrutiny from law enforcement officers visiting their workplaces to check their documents.[13]
Deportation of 104 Indians
[edit]On 5 February 2025, about 104 Indian nationals were deported to India on a military plane from the US. The flight landed in Amritsar, Punjab, making it the farthest deportation flight on a military plane.[14][6][15] The immigrants were handcuffed and their legs were chained.[16]
This deportation was criticised by the opposition of the BJP-led Indian government. Indian MP Shashi Tharoor said, "We are protesting precisely this issue — that the manner in which the U.S. did what they did was really unacceptable." Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi urged PM Narendra Modi to look into this issue, and added that "Indians deserve Dignity and Humanity, NOT Handcuffs."[17] One Indian national described the deportation flight as "torture".[18]
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi criticised the Indian government for maintaining silence over the incident.[19] External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar downplayed the incident and added that such deportations were not new. A number of Indian citizens questioned why the Modi-led government is silent over the incident contrary to the leaders of Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, and Honduras, who have raised the issue for their citizens.[6]
Political analyst and former Indian government spokesperson Sanjay Baru said, "I’m quite surprised that my government has taken a weak-kneed approach." He added: "For a prime minister who thinks of himself as a tough political leader, he has caved in far too quickly."[20] Author Kingshuk Nag termed the poor treatment of Indian immigrants as having demonstrated an unequal relationship between the two countries.[21]
Over 1,000 Indian nationals were deported on commercial flights in the previous year without any reported controversy.[17]
On 7 February, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said India has been notified about "487 presumed Indian nationals" who will be deported soon.[22]
On 13 February, it was reported that two more deportation flights were expected to land in Amritsar, Punjab. Punjab finance minister Harpal Cheema wondered why the flights were landing only in Punjab but not Gujarat.[23]
Deportation of 119 Indians
[edit]On 15 February, there were reports that a deportation flight carrying 119 Indians will be landing in Amritsar, Punjab the same day. [24] Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann accused BJP at the centre of defaming Punjab by making Amritsar as the site for landing deportation flights. [25] The military plane carrying the deportees landed at Amritsar around 11:40 PM. Some of the deportees saw their families at the airport to welcome them.[26] This time, male deportees were handcuffed, and Sikh deportees, in particular, had their turbans removed, this was criticised by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. [27][28]
| State | Number of Deportees |
|---|---|
| Punjab | 67 |
| Haryana | 33 |
| Gujarat | 8 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 3 |
| Goa | 2 |
| Maharashtra | 2 |
| Rajasthan | 2 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 1 |
| Jammu & Kashmir | 1 |
Four of the deportees were subsequently arrested by Indian police for charges relating to murder, sexual assault on a minor and alleged snatching and theft.[29][30]
Deportation of 112 Indians
[edit]An American plane carrying 157 deported Indian nationals was set to arrive on 16 February in Amritsar, Punjab. [31] A US military plane carrying a total of 112 Indians landed at Amritsar on the same day. Subsequently, two flights with 33 of the deportees from Gujarat landed at Ahmedabad.[32]
| State | Number of Deportees[33] |
|---|---|
| Haryana | 44 |
| Gujarat | 33 |
| Punjab | 31 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 2 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 1 |
| Uttarakhand | 1 |
See also
[edit]- Immigration policy of the second Donald Trump administration
- Deportation and removal from the United States
- Illegal immigration to the United States
- Undocumented immigrant population of the United States
- Indians in the United States
References
[edit]- ^ a b Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (21 January 2025). "Modi's government planning to repatriate 18,000 Indians living in US illegally". the Guardian. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ^ Banerji, Annie (11 February 2024). "'Unemployed for six months, nothing here for me': Indians risk 'Dunki' route to chase American Dream". Scroll.in. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ^ "Dunki route illegal immigration: 'Dunki' route continues to thrive despite US crackdown on illegal immigration". Deccan Herald. 5 February 2025. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ^ Thakur, Purav (12 February 2025). "Indians seeking asylum in US grew 470% in 5 years: Study". India Today. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
- ^ "Indian migrant arrests at US border up 4,200% since 2020, shows report". Business Standard. 13 February 2025. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ a b c Bharathy Singaravel, Dhanya Rajendran (8 February 2025). "Why did the US deport Indians on a military aircraft? The role of Trump's crackdown". The News Minute. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ^ Tiwary, Deeptiman (13 February 2025). "4,300 Indians under probe for illegally immigrating to US from 2021-24: ED". The Indian Express. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
- ^ India, Press Trust of (6 September 2017). "Indian Immigrants Fear Deportation After Donald Trump Scraps 'Dreamers' Plan". www.ndtv.com. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- ^ Bhardwaj, Ananya (24 July 2019). "50% more than first 6 months of 2018". ThePrint. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ Biswas, Soutik (17 February 2025). "Nine surprising facts about Indians in the US". BBC Home. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
- ^ "India to take back verified illegals: PM Modi amid US crackdown on immigrants". India Today. 14 February 2025. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ Clinton, Jane; Aratani, Lauren; Mackey, Robert; Stein, Chris; Yang, Maya; Greve, Joan E; Sridhar, Devi; Loucaides, Darren; Krupa, Jakub (14 February 2025). "Trump administration directs federal agencies to fire all probationary employees – as it happened". the Guardian. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ a b Nath, Sanstuti (8 February 2025). "Indian Students In US Quitting Part-Time Jobs Amid Trump's Deportation Threats". www.ndtv.com. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ Ashraf, Anwar (5 February 2025). "Fact check: Misinformation spread online as Indians deported – DW – 02/05/2025". dw.com. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- ^ Iyer, Aishwarya; Mitra, Esha; Law, Heather (5 February 2025). "At least 104 Indian citizens deported from US on military aircraft, say Indian officials". CNN. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ^ Chaba, Anju Agnihotri (7 February 2025). "Inside US deportation of 104 Indians: 'Handcuffed, legs chained, struggled to use washroom for 40 hours'". The Indian Express. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ^ a b Zargar, Arshad R. (6 February 2025). "Fury in India over U.S. allegedly flying deportees halfway around the world in handcuffs and leg chains". CBS News. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ^ "Indian Migrant Says Deportation Flight Was 'Torture'". The New York Times. 13 February 2025. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ Hussain, Aijaz; Ngashangva, Chonchui (6 February 2025). "Opposition lawmakers protest alleged mistreatment of Indian deportees by US". AP News. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ^ Mehrotra, Karishma (13 February 2025). "Controversial deportation flight to India hangs over Modi-Trump meeting". Washington Post. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ Mukherji, Biman (11 February 2025). "Outrage in India over 'inhumane' US deportation of undocumented migrants". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ Mohan, Geeta (12 February 2025). "487 more illegal Indian migrants to be deported from US soon: Government". India Today. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
- ^ "2 more flights carrying Indians deported from US to land in Amritsar this week". Hindustan Times. 13 February 2025. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ Bassi, Aseem (14 February 2025). "Two more US flights with illegal migrants to land in Punjab on February 15-16". India Today. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- ^ Chitre, Manjiri (15 February 2025). "US Plane With 119 Deported Indians To Land Today, Opposition Raises Questions". www.ndtv.com. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- ^ a b Chen, Liu Chuen (15 February 2025). "US Plane Carrying 2nd Batch Of 119 Indian Immigrants Lands In Amritsar". www.ndtv.com. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ^ Bajwa, Harpreet (16 February 2025). "US deportees on second flight back home handcuffed, chained; Sikh youth boarded without turban". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ^ India, Press Trust of (16 February 2025). "Top Sikh Body Slams US Authorities For Not Allowing Some Deportees To Wear Turban". www.ndtv.com. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ^ Bharat Khanna, Jaskaran Singh (17 February 2025). "3 deportees arrested on arrival for murder, sex assault; one detained". The Times of India. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
- ^ Goyal, Divya (17 February 2025). "Hours after landing, US deportee from Ludhiana arrested over pending non-bailable warrants". The Indian Express. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
- ^ Bajwa, Harpreet (16 February 2025). "Why Amritsar chosen? Political slugfest erupts over US planes carrying Indian deportees". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ^ "U.S. deportees: Two flights with 33 Indians land at Ahmedabad airport from Amritsar". The Hindu. 17 February 2025. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
- ^ Arora, Kusum (17 February 2025). "The Tortuous Routes Some Indians Are Taking to Get to Foreign Shores". The Wire. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
Further reading
[edit]- Kugelman, Michael (21 March 2017). "Trump Is Scaring Indians". Foreign Policy.
- George, Varghese K. (16 January 2018). "460 Indians deported by the U.S in 2017". The Hindu. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- "The Wire: Trump's Deportation Push Turns American Dream Into a Nightmare For Indians". New American Economy. 24 February 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- Gowen, Annie; Morello, Carol (24 March 2017). "U.S. targets more than 270 Indians for deportation, says India's top diplomat". Washington Post. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- Bhattacherjee, Kallol (9 November 2024). "How will Trump treat illegal Indians?". The Hindu. Retrieved 15 February 2025.