In his first meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Washington DC on January 22, newly appointed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised the issue of “irregular immigration.” This comes as the number of Indian immigrants deported from the US has seen a significant increase in recent years.
In 2019, around 1,616 Indians were deported, which increased to 2,312 in 2020. However, during the post-Covid years of 2021, 2022, and 2023, the numbers were significantly lower — 292, 276, and 370 respectively. Last year, the figure rose to 1,529.
The Trump administration’s potential moves on deportations could impact the 20,407 “undocumented” Indians, as of November 2024, who are either facing “final removal orders” or currently in detention centers of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Of these, 17,940 “paperless” Indians are not in detention but are under “final removal orders,” and another 2,647 are in detention under ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
Royce Murray, assistant secretary for border and immigration policy at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), noted a “steady increase” in deportations of undocumented Indian immigrants from the US. Between October 2023 and September 2024, the US deported more than 1,100 undocumented immigrants from India.
Deportation from the US involves removing non-citizens who violate immigration laws, including those who participate in criminal acts or pose a threat to public safety. The US Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) allows for an expedited removal process for certain foreign nationals who might have recently entered the US without proper documentation.
Non-citizens who express an intent to apply for asylum or fear persecution if returned to their home country are entitled to administrative review before being removed. Voluntary departure is an option before deportation, where the individual can leave the US at their own expense.
The ICE Air Operations (IAO) facilitates the transfer and removal of non-citizens via commercial airlines and chartered flights. Many Indian nationals facing imminent deportation fall under the expedited removal category, having been apprehended at a designated port of entry or near the international border.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Report highlights the increase in deportations, with India ranking above China and almost equal to Brazil in terms of the number of citizens deported or repatriated from the US.