Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has said New Delhi is open to the return of undocumented Indians in the United States. His comments came following a meeting with U.S. foreign secretary Marco Rubio in Washington during which illegal immigration was one of the issues discussed.
Saying that New Delhi was firmly opposed to illegal migration, he told reporters that “We have always taken the view that if there are any of our citizens who are not here legally, if we are sure that they are our citizens, we have always been, you know, open to their legitimate return to India.” He said it is a position India takes with every country.
Jaishankar was addressing a news conference in Washington on Wednesday, a day after his meeting with Rubio.
After taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump issued executive orders that aim to clamp down on illegal immigration and deport those who are in the U.S. illegally.
Indians made up the third-largest group of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. in 2022 behind Mexico and El Salvador, according to Pew Research Center. It estimated their number at 725,000.
Analysts see India’s proactive stand on facilitating the return of illegal Indian migrants in the U.S. as a move to address a key concern of the Trump administration as New Delhi prepares to navigate more complicated issues, including trade and tariffs.
“Among a range of issues, where there are divergences between India and the U.S., this is one area where India can show it is transparently doing something, allowing it greater space to maneuver in other areas,” according to Harsh Pant, vice president of studies at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi. “In other areas, such as the economy and trade, it is very difficult to do things which the new Trump administration may want India to do, and it would take time.”
Jaishankar said that New Delhi is currently verifying the identities of those eligible for deportation and precise numbers of illegal migrants cannot be determined.
The United States has identified some 18,000 undocumented Indian migrants to be sent back home, for which India will verify and start the process of deportation, Bloomberg reported earlier this week, citing people familiar with the matter.
Deportations of Indians in the United States who lack proper documentation have been taking place – a group of Indian nationals was repatriated by the U.S. in October, for example.
The Indian foreign minister Jaishankar also spoke in support of legal migration channels.
“As a government, we are obviously very much supportive of legal mobility because we do believe in a global workplace. We want Indian talent and Indian skills to have the maximum opportunity at the global level,” he said at his press conference.
The H-1B visa program, which brings skilled foreign workers to the United States, has been a subject of debate in the U.S. in recent years, with some strongly criticizing the program for negatively impacting American workers. Proponents assert those skilled workers benefit U.S. companies and employers. Indians, most of them professionals working in the technology industry, are among the biggest beneficiaries of the visa program.
Analyst Pant says India is on a “stronger wicket” where H-1B visas are concerned. “On this issue, India has also been getting support from companies in the U.S. So politically, that is a safer issue for India to handle because there is a domestic support base for India,” Pant said.
Elon Musk is among those who have expressed strong support for the program. Trump, who had been critical of the program, last month spoke in its favor.
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