India's foreign minister warned on Thursday of a "strong crackdown" on illegal migration, following a US military plane's repatriation of 104 migrants as part of President Donald Trump's immigration reforms.
Since Trump's inauguration on January 20, thousands of undocumented migrants have been detained across the United States.
Trump's series of executive actions targeting immigration are estimated to affect 11 million undocumented individuals.
“It is the responsibility of every country to repatriate its nationals found living illegally abroad,” Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told parliament.
Michael W. Banks, Chief of the US Border Patrol, described the repatriation flight of “illegal aliens to India” as the “farthest deportation flight yet using military transport.”
On Wednesday, Banks shared a video on social media showing a line of shackled migrants boarding military aircraft.
Jaishankar stated that New Delhi was "engaging with the US government to ensure the deportees are treated appropriately during the flight."
However, he emphasized that the deportation process was not new, noting that the United States had expelled more than 15,000 Indians since 2009, with nearly half of them deported between 2019 and 2024.
“Our focus should be on a strong crackdown on the illegal migration industry while also easing visa restrictions for legitimate travellers,” Jaishankar said.
Despite being the world’s fifth-largest economy with exceptional GDP growth, India continues to see hundreds of thousands of its citizens leave annually in search of better opportunities abroad, particularly in the United States.
India's diaspora is widespread, but the US remains the preferred destination, and New Delhi is advocating for a more flexible US visa policy for its highly skilled professionals, including engineers, doctors, and other specialists.
During Trump's first term in office (2017-2021), the US and Indian governments, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi—both of whom have faced accusations of authoritarianism—enjoyed strong relations.
Indian media widely reports that Modi is expected to visit Washington next week, where a meeting with Trump is anticipated.
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