MEA reports 682 Indians deported from US since January

New Delhi: The government informed parliament on Friday that 682 Indians had been deported from the United States since January, with the vast majority attempting to enter the nation illegally.

Kirti Vardhan Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs, informed the Lok Sabha about steps taken by India to assist its individuals facing deportation or other legal consequences as a result of their undocumented status in the United States.

A total of 682 Indian nationals have been deported from the US since January 2025 till date, the minister said in a written response to a question.

"The vast majority of these deportees had attempted to enter the U.S. illegally, but were apprehended at the US border itself and thereafter deported to India after due verification. As such, these deportations may not have any impact on the overall remittance flows to India," he said.

According to the minister, the government continues to be engaged with the US to promote mutually advantageous and secure mobility frameworks for streamlining the movement of students and professionals and facilitating short-term tourist and business travel.

The issues of illegal immigration and human trafficking are also being addressed by taking strong action against bad actors, criminal facilitators, and illegal immigration networks, he said.

"The Government of India continues to work in close coordination with the US government on all instances of deportation of individuals who were found to have illegally entered the US, or have overstayed their visa validity, or have been found living in the US without any documentation or have criminal convictions against them.

"The list of persons identified for deportation by the US side is closely scrutinized and verified by the concerned agencies of the Government of India. Only those persons who have been verified to be Indian nationals are accepted to be deported to India," he said.

In response to a separate question on the issue, the minister noted that the government does not maintain data on the number of people who may have entered the US via illegal means and routes.

"Data on such people is only received from the US authorities in the context of repatriation exercises from time to time. Based on the harrowing accounts and testimonies of returning deportees, the Central and the respective state governments and agencies have registered cases, and investigations as well as actions are ongoing against several illegal immigration agents, criminal facilitators and human trafficking syndicates that run these rackets," he added.

With PTI inputs