Nearly 18,000 undocumented Indian nationals are on the deportation list prepared by the US government, as the incoming Trump administration pledges to carry out the largest deportation in American history.
This list is part of a broader effort, with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) compiling approximately 1.5 million individuals marked for deportation. Among these, 17,940 Indians are included in the non-detained docket with final removal orders in the United States, reported India Today.
The US has about 725,000 illegal immigrants from India, making it the third-largest group of unauthorised immigrants after Mexico and El Salvador, according to data from the Pew Research Center. In preparation for these deportations, the US previously used a chartered flight to return Indian nationals staying illegally in the country. This flight, organised in cooperation with the Indian government, took place on October 22.
Thousands of Indias struggling in US
Thousands of undocumented Indians in the US are struggling to legalise their status, with many waiting years for clearance from ICE. Notably, an average of 90,000 Indians have been apprehended while attempting to cross US borders illegally over the last three financial years.
The ICE document indicates that Honduras leads the deportation list with 261,651 undocumented immigrants, followed by Guatemala, Mexico, and El Salvador.
Furthermore, ICE has labelled India as “uncooperative,” citing delays in coordination by Indian authorities regarding the return of their nationals. The agency expects timely actions from foreign governments to confirm citizenship for non-citizens believed to be their nationals.
This includes conducting interviews, issuing travel documents promptly, and accepting the physical return of their nationals via scheduled commercial or charter flights consistent with ICE and foreign government removal guidelines.
Currently, ICE considers 15 countries to be uncooperative in this regard, including India, Bhutan, Burma, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, Iran, Laos, Pakistan, People’s Republic of China, Russia, Somalia, and Venezuela.
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