US Military Flight Bringing Deported Indians Arrives in Punjab: What You Need to Know

The exact number of undocumented Indian immigrants in the US is a topic of debate.

According to new data from the Pew Research Center, around 725,000 undocumented Indians were living in the US in 2022. This places India as the third-largest group of undocumented immigrants, following Mexico and El Salvador.

On the other hand, the Migration Policy Institute estimates the number is closer to 375,000, ranking India fifth among countries contributing to the undocumented immigrant population. In total, undocumented immigrants make up about 3% of the US population and 22% of the foreign-born population.

As of November, about 1.44 million non-citizens in the US were under ICE’s “non-detained docket with final orders of removal.” The largest groups of these individuals come from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico, each with over 200,000 people awaiting deportation.

For India, the count stands at around 17,940 individuals on this list. The US government faces challenges in deporting individuals, as many countries do not readily accept their citizens back.

ICE identifies 15 countries as “uncooperative,” including India, China, and Venezuela. These nations may resist cooperating with deportation efforts, often citing issues like delays in issuing travel documents or refusing to conduct necessary interviews.

Recently, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal affirmed India’s strong position against illegal migration. He emphasized that India is working with the US to combat illegal immigration while also facilitating legal pathways for migrants.

Jaiswal noted that before deportation, the Indian government would need to verify the nationality of individuals to ensure proper procedures are followed. Last year, during former President Biden’s administration, around 271,000 migrants were deported from the US back to 192 different countries.