Over 2000 Indian nationals deported from US this year

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday (October 30) confirmed that more than 2,790 Indian nationals have been deported from the United States this year for illegally staying in the country.

‘Nationality verified’

The ministry stated that their identities were carefully verified before deportation.

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MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, addressing a weekly media briefing in New Delhi, said, “Since January this year, we have had over 2,790 Indian nationals who did not meet the criteria. They were illegally staying there, and we verified their credentials, their nationality, and they have returned. This is the status as of yesterday.”

‘100 Indians deported from UK’

In response to a query about deportation of Indians from other countries, Jaiswal said around 100 Indian nationals have been deported from the United Kingdom after the verification of their nationality by Indian authorities.

Jaiswal had said last month, “We want to promote legal pathways of migration. At the same time, India stands against illegal migration.”

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The MEA spokesperson had said, “Whenever there is a person who does not possess a legal status in any country, and he or she is referred to us with documents if there are claims that they are Indian nationals, we do the background check, we confirm the nationality, and then we are in a position to take them back. And this is what has been happening with deportations from the United States.”

Trump’s focus on illegal immigrants

Since Donald Trump took over as the US President in his second term this year, his administration has increased efforts to identify and deport illegal immigrants in the country.

In September, 73-year-old Harjit Kaur, a Sikh woman from Punjab, was among the latest deportees from the US who arrived in India. She had been detained by authorities in California during a regular check-in by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Also Read: US embassy in India issues deportation warning to visa holders who break rules

More than half a million people have reportedly been deported, and many more have left the United States voluntarily.