India’s government is working closely with the Trump administration to identify and repatriate its citizens living illegally in the United States, according to a Bloomberg report. The initiative is being seen as Modi government’s willingness to cooperate with the incoming president and avoid a potential trade conflict.
According to sources quoted by Bloomberg, India and US have identified around 18,000 Indian migrants in the US for deportation. However, the actual number may be higher, as it’s unclear how many undocumented Indian migrants currently reside in the country.
The Indian government’s initiative comes on the back of Trump’s willingness to prioritise deporting illegal immigrants. On his first day in office, Trump moved quickly to fulfil this promise by pushing for an end to birthright citizenship and deploying troops to the US-Mexico border.
Failure to address illegal immigration could harm India’s labor and mobility agreements with other countries, the report states. To address domestic job shortages, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has signed migration agreements with countries like Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Israel in recent years.
In October, the Department of Homeland Security chartered a large-scale repatriation flight to return over 100 Indian nationals who were in the US illegally, continuing a trend from the previous year, when more than 1,100 Indian nationals were deported.
In exchange, India hopes the Trump administration will protect legal immigration channels for its citizens, particularly student visas and the H-1B program, which is vital for skilled workers. Indians currently make up nearly three-quarters of the 386,000 H-1B visas granted in 2023, according to official data.
“As part of India-US cooperation on migration, both sides are working together to curb illegal immigration,” Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs told the news outlet. “This cooperation aims to create more pathways for legal migration to the US,” he added, referring to an October repatriation flight that returned Indian nationals from the US.
Rising Numbers of Illegal Indian Migrants
India contributes a relatively small share of illegal migrants to the US, accounting for about 3% of all unlawful crossings encountered by US border patrol in fiscal year 2024, according to US Customs and Border Protection data. While the exact number of undocumented Indian immigrants in the US is unknown, a 2022 report by the Department of Homeland Security estimated around 220,000 unauthorized Indian migrants were living in the country.
Trade Concerns with Trump Administration
Though Prime Minister Modi has a positive relationship with Donald Trump, India remains cautious of unpredictable trade actions from the new president, especially in light of Trump’s past criticisms of India’s high import taxes. Trump has suggested he may impose retaliatory tariffs on India, which could escalate into a costly trade war.
On his first day in office, Trump focused on neighboring countries, announcing plans to impose tariffs of up to 25% on Mexico and Canada by February 1, blaming them for allowing illegal immigration into the US. Trump also called Canada a “very bad abuser,” citing concerns over fentanyl trafficking and border-crossing migrants.