India on Thursday announced its intention to intensify its crackdown on illegal migration, following the return of 104 migrants from the United States, who were flown back on a U.S. military aircraft as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement measures.
Since Trump’s inauguration on January 20, there has been a significant increase in the arrest of unregistered migrants across the United States. Trump’s executive actions aimed at reforming U.S. immigration policies are expected to affect approximately 11 million undocumented migrants.
India’s Minister of External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, emphasized the responsibility of all countries to reclaim their nationals found living illegally abroad. “It is the obligation of all countries to take back their nationals if they are found to be living illegally abroad,” Jaishankar stated.
The U.S. Border Patrol Chief, Michael W. Banks, highlighted that the deportation flight to India represented the longest deportation distance covered using military transport. Banks shared a video on social media showing a line of shackled migrants boarding the aircraft.
Jaishankar reassured that New Delhi was in dialogue with the U.S. government to ensure the humane treatment of the deportees during their flight. He noted that the deportation process is not new, with the United States having expelled more than 15,000 Indians since 2009, nearly half of them between 2019 and 2024.
“Our focus should be on a strong crackdown on the illegal migration industry, while taking steps to ease visas for legitimate travelers,” Jaishankar said. Despite being the world’s fifth-largest economy with impressive GDP growth, India sees hundreds of thousands of its citizens leaving each year in search of better opportunities abroad.
