Over 1,000 Indians deported from US since January 2025

More than 1,000 Indian nationals have “come back or [been] deported” from the United States since January, India’s foreign ministry has said.

Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal revealed the figures during a weekly briefing, adding that about 62% returned on commercial flights. He did not provide further details.

This follows an intensified US crackdown on undocumented migrants under President Donald Trump, who has made immigration a key issue ahead of the 2024 election.

Trump previously stated that India “will do what’s right” on the deportation of illegal migrants.

In February, over 100 Indians were deported from the US on a military flight. Some were reportedly shackled during their return.

Mr Jaiswal said: “We have close cooperation between India and the United States on migration issues.”

He added that “we take them back” only after verifying their nationality.

The US has reportedly identified about 18,000 Indian nationals it believes entered the country illegally. Deportations are expected to continue.

Earlier in May 2025, the US Embassy in India warned that overstaying could result in deportation or even a permanent ban, even for those who initially entered the country legally.

Mr Jaiswal also commented on a new US policy likely to affect Indian students.

On May 28, the US paused new visa interview appointments while it considers expanding its screening of foreign students’ social media accounts.

This directive would make it more difficult for foreign students to get an entry into US schools and colleges.

Mr Jaiswal said: “While we note that issuance of a visa is a sovereign function, we hope that the application of Indian students will be considered on merit, and they will be able to join their academic programmes on time.”

India remains the largest source of international students in the US, with 330,000 enrolled in 2023-24.

It is stated: “Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued septel, which we anticipate in the coming days.”

The US has also widened its student visa scrutiny, focusing on Chinese applicants.

It said it was working to “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields”.