India’s Foreign Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, has vowed a strong crackdown on illegal migration, following the deportation of 104 Indian migrants from the United States aboard a military aircraft.
Jaishankar addressed parliament on Thursday, affirming India’s obligation to accept the return of its nationals who have been living illegally abroad.
“It is the responsibility of all countries to take back their citizens if found to be residing illegally in another nation,” he stated.
The deportation flight, the longest yet carried out by the US military, comes as part of former President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration overhaul. Since Trump’s inauguration on January 20, thousands of undocumented migrants have been arrested across the US.
US Border Patrol Chief Michael W. Banks described the deportation as a milestone, emphasizing the administration’s determination to remove undocumented migrants.
Jaishankar acknowledged that deportations were not new, noting that over 15,000 Indians had been expelled from the US since 2009, nearly half of them between 2019 and 2024.
“Our focus should be a strong crackdown on illegal migration networks while simultaneously easing visa processes for legitimate travelers,” he said.
Despite being the world’s fifth-largest economy, India sees hundreds of thousands of its citizens emigrate yearly in search of better opportunities, with the US remaining a top destination.
New Delhi is actively pushing for a more favorable US visa policy for its highly skilled professionals, including engineers and doctors.
Indian media reports suggest that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may visit Washington next week, where he is expected to meet with Trump—reviving the strong diplomatic ties they shared during Trump’s first term in office from 2017 to 2021.
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