Since the start of this year, 2,790 Indian nationals living illegally in the United States have returned home, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.
Sharing the figures at his weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said these individuals “did not meet the criteria and were illegally staying there.”
“On deportation, since January of this year, we have had around 2,790-plus Indian nationals who did not meet the criteria. They were illegally staying there. We verified their credentials, their nationality. And they have returned,” Jaiswal said. “This is the status till yesterday, that is October 29.”
Jaiswal clarified that each case was verified to confirm the person’s Indian nationality before repatriation. “We verified their credentials and nationality before they returned,” he said, stressing that deportations followed established legal and diplomatic procedures between India and US authorities.
The MEA spokesperson also addressed questions about deportations from the United Kingdom, saying that around 100 Indian nationals had been sent back this year after due verification.
“From the UK side, this year we have had around 100 Indian nationals who have been deported after their nationality was duly verified by us,” Jaiswal said.
The numbers highlight ongoing efforts between India and its international partners to manage migration more effectively amid a global rise in illegal crossings and visa overstays.
INDIAN ILLEGAL CROSSINGS INTO US DROPS TO 4-YEAR-LOW
The number of Indian nationals caught trying to enter the United States illegally has plunged sharply, hitting its lowest level in four years, according to data released by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Between October 2024 and September 2025, US authorities detained 34,146 Indians attempting to cross into the country without authorisation, a 62 percent decline from 90,415 detentions recorded in the previous fiscal year.
The latest CBP report, released on October 28, points to what officials describe as a steep and sustained decline in such cases. The drop marks the largest year-on-year fall since 2021, when irregular migration by Indian nationals began to surge amid post-pandemic economic disruptions.
– Ends
With inputs from PTI.
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