India agrees to take back illegal migrants to keep H-1B floodgates open
India has reportedly offered to repatriate all of its citizens who are currently residing illegally in the United States.While India has historically complied with the U.S.' repatriation flights, New Delhi is signaling early cooperation with President Donald Trump's administration to avoid potential visa restrictions and stricter trade policy, a Tuesday report from Bloomberg revealed. 'Both sides are engaged in a process to deter illegal migration.'India seeks to ensure its citizens can continue to enter the U.S. with student visas and through the H-1B program. According to government data, 72% of the H-1B visas granted in 2023 went to Indian nationals.U.S. officials have reportedly identified more than 18,000 illegal Indian nationals for deportation. However, the figure could be significantly higher, sources indicated to Bloomberg.Customs and Border Protection data reveals that agents encountered more than 18,000 Indian nationals in the first three months of fiscal year 2025. The previous year, nationwide encounters of Indian nationals exceeded 90,000. Yet, immigrants from India account for only 3% of total illegal crossings.A report from the Department of Homeland Security estimated that there are roughly 220,000 Indian nationals in the U.S. illegally as of 2022.On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. A Department of State press release indicated that the two discussed illegal immigration concerns.Rubio and Jaishankar "affirmed a shared commitment to continuing to strengthen the partnership between the United States and India," it read. "They discussed a wide range of topics, including regional issues and opportunities to further deepen the U.S.-India relationship, in particular on critical and emerging technologies, defense cooperation, energy, and on advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region," the press release continued. "Secretary Rubio also emphasized the Trump administration's desire to work with India to advance economic ties and address concerns related to irregular migration."Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India's Ministry of External Affairs, told Bloomberg, "As part of India-U.S. cooperation on migration and mobility, both sides are engaged in a process to deter illegal migration. This is being done to create more avenues for legal migration from India to the U.S.""The latest deportation of Indian nationals from the U.S. by a chartered flight is a result of this cooperation," Jaiswal stated, referring to an October repatriation flight that returned more than 100 illegal aliens to India. During the previous 12 months, over 1,100 Indian nationals were returned to their country of origin.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
India has reportedly offered to repatriate all of its citizens who are currently residing illegally in the United States.
While India has historically complied with the U.S.' repatriation flights, New Delhi is signaling early cooperation with President Donald Trump's administration to avoid potential visa restrictions and stricter trade policy, a Tuesday report from Bloomberg revealed.
'Both sides are engaged in a process to deter illegal migration.'
India seeks to ensure its citizens can continue to enter the U.S. with student visas and through the H-1B program. According to government data, 72% of the H-1B visas granted in 2023 went to Indian nationals.
U.S. officials have reportedly identified more than 18,000 illegal Indian nationals for deportation. However, the figure could be significantly higher, sources indicated to Bloomberg.
Customs and Border Protection data reveals that agents encountered more than 18,000 Indian nationals in the first three months of fiscal year 2025. The previous year, nationwide encounters of Indian nationals exceeded 90,000. Yet, immigrants from India account for only 3% of total illegal crossings.
A report from the Department of Homeland Security estimated that there are roughly 220,000 Indian nationals in the U.S. illegally as of 2022.
On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. A Department of State press release indicated that the two discussed illegal immigration concerns.
Rubio and Jaishankar "affirmed a shared commitment to continuing to strengthen the partnership between the United States and India," it read.
"They discussed a wide range of topics, including regional issues and opportunities to further deepen the U.S.-India relationship, in particular on critical and emerging technologies, defense cooperation, energy, and on advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region," the press release continued. "Secretary Rubio also emphasized the Trump administration's desire to work with India to advance economic ties and address concerns related to irregular migration."
Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India's Ministry of External Affairs, told Bloomberg, "As part of India-U.S. cooperation on migration and mobility, both sides are engaged in a process to deter illegal migration. This is being done to create more avenues for legal migration from India to the U.S."
"The latest deportation of Indian nationals from the U.S. by a chartered flight is a result of this cooperation," Jaiswal stated, referring to an October repatriation flight that returned more than 100 illegal aliens to India. During the previous 12 months, over 1,100 Indian nationals were returned to their country of origin.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Originally Published at Daily Wire, World Net Daily, or The Blaze
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