As the new Trump US administration is preparing for a crackdown on illegal migration, India is set to take back its citizens residing illegally in America, according to a report by the US news agency Bloomberg.
The report said India is working behind the scenes to appease the Trump administration to avoid a trade war with the US.
“The two countries have together identified some 18,000 illegal Indian migrants in the US to be sent back home,” Bloomberg reported citing people familiar with the matter.
The numbers could be much higher, as it is unclear how many illegal Indian migrants live in the US.
A report published last year by the US Department of Homeland Security estimated some 2, 20,000 unauthorised Indian immigrants resided in the US as of 2022.
“Any slack in taking back illegal US migrants could also adversely affect India’s labour and mobility agreements with other countries,” Bloomberg reported.
Within hours after taking oath as 47th US President on Monday, Trump pushed to end birthright citizenship and mobilize troops on the US-Mexico border.
India also hopes that the Trump administration will protect legal immigration channels used by its citizens to enter the US, in particular student visas and the H-1B program for skilled workers.
According to official data, Indians accounted for almost three-fourths of the 3,86,000 H-1B visas granted in 2023.
“As part of India-US cooperation on migration and mobility, both sides are engaged in a process to deter illegal migration. This is being done to create more avenues for legal migration from India to the US,” said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, the Bloomberg report noted.
“The latest deportation of Indian nationals from the US by a chartered flight is a result of this cooperation,” he added, referring to an October repatriation action.
President Trump on Monday signalled plans to impose previously threatened tariffs of as much as 25% on Mexico and Canada by February 1, reiterating his contention that America’s closest neighbours and largest trading partners are letting undocumented migrants and drugs flood into the US.
“We’re thinking in terms of 25% on Mexico and Canada because they’re allowing vast numbers of people” across the border, Trump said.
(By arrangement with livemint.com)