Indian Illegal immigrants: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated during the debate on illegal Indian immigrants that the United States authorities had executed similar measures throughout history while presenting data from the past 15 years. The minister revealed to Rajya Sabha that India received 15,756 illegal Indian immigrants deported from the US between 2009 and the present day.
Indian Illegal Immigrants US
The United States has operated deportation activities continuously during the previous years. Such policy does not target a single country. As per the minister we must work with the US to conduct deportee protection measures while focusing on illegal migrant control activities.
Table of Contents
Indian Illegal Immigrants US: Based on information provided by Mr Jaishankar the US deported 2,042 Indians in 2019 being the year with the highest deportation numbers until 2020 when Covid-19 struck the world and 1,889 deportations occurred.
The following table shows how many Indians received deportations from the United States between 2009 through 2025. Deported Indians From US:
2009: 734
2010: 799
2011: 597
2012: 530
2013: 515
2014: 591
2015: 708
2016: 1,303
2017: 1,024
2018: 1,180
2019: 2,042
2020: 1,889
2021: 805
2022: 862
2023: 617
2024: 1,368
2025 (till February 5): 104
The first Indian group among numerous illegal immigrants deported by the Trump administration arrived at Amritsar through a US military flight on Wednesday.
Deported Indians From US
Deported Indians From US: The total number of sentenced Indian citizens consists of 33 individuals from both Gujarat and Haryana along with 30 Punjabi citizens and three individuals from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh and 2 residents of Chandigarh.
Many immigrants invested significant money from loans to secure US immigration entry through fraudulent arrangements. The victims experienced harsh multi-national journeys which human traffickers organized for them.
The Indian migrants faced numerous frightening accounts when they arrived from their difficult US to India journey. Video evidence obtained from the US Border Patrol displayed these migrants while agents handcuffed them and affixed leg shackles before forcing them into a shuffled walking motion used for convicted criminals.
Optical MPs in India generated strong reaction against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his governmental administration because of how these deportations were managed. During this crisis the opposition party asked whether it would not have been possible for the central government to arrange aircraft transportation for their citizens in an “appropriate” way.
The fact that India ranks as the fifth-largest economy globally should enable our government to utilize an aircraft for deportation operations just like Colombia which does not appear in the top 10 securing such flights with dignity. The lack of aircraft does not exist for our nation” Trinamool MP Saket Gokhale stated when discussing Colombia and its US immigration dispute.
The deportation procedures conducted by the United States are run and executed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) according to Mr Jaishankar during his parliamentary testimony.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities make all arrangements for and perform all deportation procedures in the United States.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement has operated its deportation by aircraft accordance with standard operating procedures since 2012. Since 2012 this procedure has gone into effect to allow restraint during deportations.
What is H1B Visa & Concerns for Indians
What is H1B Visa: There is growing concern about potential limitations placed on H-1B visas that allow qualified foreign experts to work in America. The Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh stated in his written reply that skilled Indian professionals moving between the two countries deliver mutual advantages specifically through technology and innovation sectors.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data shows that during October 2022 to September 2023 Indian nationals secured 72.3 percent of all H-1B visas granted.
Singh explained that “The government maintains “closely engaged with the US administration'” concerning everything regarding H-1B visas.
Previous periods have brought temporary limitations to this programme. Under Donald Trump’s presidency in 2017 the system became stricter which resulted in a 24% rejection rate during 2018 despite the fact that during Barack Obama’s administration and Joe Biden’s time in office the rate stayed at 5-8% and 2-4%.
Trump’s administration implemented policies which attempted to decrease outsourcing along with preventing the underpayment of H-1B visa workers.

Employers needed to present comprehensive proof showing that their positions needed specialized expertise while also demonstrating their remuneration levels matched those of the local area. The implementation of these policies triggered legal opposition that caused some of them to be rescinded.
USCIS has processed a comparable number of applications under Biden as they did under Trump. During the years 2018 to 2020 USCIS approved 1.1 million requests that included approvals for new applicants amounting to 343,000. Between 2021 and 2023, the numbers rose to 1.2 million approvals, with 375,000 new applicants.
USCIS statistics demonstrate an extraordinary increase of H-1B applications during 2024 as the number reached 758,994 compared to 474,421 in 2023.
Trump on H1B visas
The return of Donald Trump to a second presidential term raises concerns about additional immigrant restrictions on his part.

Through an executive order Trump eliminated the right of birthright citizenship for children born to unauthorized immigrants who include H-1B workers among them. American courts have prevented the policy from taking effect yet Trump remains determined to challenge this decision.
The visa program receives positive remarks from him in his statements. Trump stated during a Tuesday discussion that he supports qualified individuals entering America although he continues to champion both positions. The policy I implement today also applies to all workers at all positions from engineering to senior leadership roles.
The United States economy depends on H-1B visas because it cannot meet its skilled workforce requirements within the existing domestic talent pool for technology engineering and healthcare professions according to Jidesh Kumar managing partner of King Stubb & Kasiva.
The H-1B visa supports high-level development efforts of both technology firms and startups because of its skilled international workforce. According to him entrepreneurs derive from this population to establish new businesses that serve as hirers and economic drivers, he stated.
According to him the program’s limitation could push leading international talent toward Canada and the UK for opportunities that would threaten US dominance in innovation plus economic growth.
For more updates follow: Latest News on NEWZZY