US President-elect Donald Trump has promised to initiate the largest deportation in American history after he takes office on January 20, 2025. In advance, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has created a list of around 1.5 million people designated for removal. Among them, almost 18,000 undocumented Indian citizens are included in the list compiled by the US government and are at immediate risk of being deported to India.
As per ICE data published in November 2024, 17,940 Indians are part of the 1.5 million people on the non-detained docket with final removal orders in the U.S.
According to data from the Pew Research Center, the US has around 725,000 undocumented immigrants from India, ranking it as the third-largest group of unauthorized immigrants after Mexico and El Salvador.
In October, before this data was released, the US utilized a chartered flight to expel Indian nationals residing in the country unlawfully.
The flight, dispatched to India on October 22, was arranged in collaboration with the Indian government, as stated by the Department of Homeland Security.
Thousands of undocumented Indians in the United States are facing difficulties in legalizing their status, with numerous individuals waiting for years for approval from ICE. Significantly, approximately 90,000 Indians were apprehended while trying to cross US borders unlawfully during the past three fiscal years.
The ICE document indicates that Honduras, with 261,651 undocumented immigrants, leads the deportation list, trailed by Guatemala, Mexico, and El Salvador.
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US AGENCY CLASSIFIES INDIA AS ‘UNCOOPERATIVE’
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has labeled India as “uncooperative,” pointing to the authorities’ delays in coordination.
The document has also indicated that the US government anticipates the necessary actions by the foreign government to verify the citizenship of non-citizens thought to be their nationals.
“Conducting interviews, issuing travel documents in a timely manner, and accepting the physical return of their nationals by scheduled commercial or charter flights consistent with ICE and/or foreign government removal guidelines,” stated the ICE document.
