The United States has intensified its deportation efforts over the past year, targeting unauthorized immigrants, including a significant number of Indian nationals. As per official data provided by the US government, a total of 519 Indian nationals were deported back to India between November 2023 and October 2024. Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Virdhan Azad, revealed this information in a written response to the Lok Sabha, highlighting the increasing trend of repatriation flights operated by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

These deportations, carried out via both commercial and chartered flights, involve individuals who were ordered removed by US authorities after being declared unauthorized to stay. October 2024 witnessed a high-profile chartered “removal flight” returning a large group of Indian migrants to their home country. Such flights, often transporting over 100 passengers at a time, underscore the growing scale of deportations under the US immigration enforcement policy.

Rising Encounters and Deportations

The deportations of Indian nationals are part of a broader trend reflecting increased border encounters and unauthorized entries. Speaking at a media briefing, Royce Bernstein Murray, assistant secretary at the US Department of Homeland Security, noted, There has been a steady increase in removals of Indian nationals over the past few years, which corresponds with a general rise in encounters with Indian nationals attempting unauthorized crossings.

The term “encounters” refers to instances where individuals are stopped by US authorities while attempting to cross borders illegally. Since October 2020, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has detained nearly 170,000 Indian migrants attempting unauthorized crossings at the countrys northern and southern borders.

Demographic Shifts in Border Detentions

Interestingly, while single adults constituted the majority of detentions in 2021, family units now account for 16-18% of those detained at both the US-Mexico and US-Canada borders. This shift indicates a growing number of families attempting to migrate to the US despite stricter enforcement measures.

Implications of Trumps Immigration Policies

The ramp-up in deportations coincides with rising concerns about the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised the most comprehensive crackdown on illegal immigration in US history. Trump’s proposed policies aim to escalate deportations further, raising anxieties among Indian immigrants, both undocumented and those awaiting legal status.

As of 2022, an estimated 725,000 undocumented Indian immigrants resided in the US, making them the third-largest group after migrants from Mexico and El Salvador. According to the Pew Research Center, unauthorized immigrants comprise 3% of the US population and 22% of its foreign-born population.