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New Delhi is prepared to cooperate with Donald Trump's administration to identify and repatriate all Indian citizens residing illegally in the United States, a Bloomberg report said on Tuesday.
The US has identified some 18,000 illegal Indian migrants which are to be sent back, and for this India would verify and start the deportation process, the report said.
During his inauguration on Monday, President Trump declared a national emergency at the US southern border.
He announced that all illegal entry into the country would be immediately halted and that his administration would begin returning millions of 'criminal aliens back to the places from which they came.'
* In 2023-2024, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deported over 1,100 Indian nationals, with 160,000 individuals removed globally via 495 repatriation flights to 145 countries, including India.
* Illegal migration to the US has increased, via the northern border, though Indians accounted for only 3% of unlawful crossings in 2024.
* Since 2022, Indians have topped illegal immigrants from Asia at US checkpoints, surpassing the the Philippines.
* In 2023-2024, US authorities encountered 90,415 Indians attempting illegal entry.
* DHS estimates 220,000 unauthorised Indian immigrants in the US as of 2022, part of the 13.3 million undocumented population nationwide.
* Over two-thirds of undocumented immigrants have lived in the US for over a decade, contributing 5% to the workforce, particularly in agriculture, hospitality, construction (12%), and health care.
* Trump's immigration plan could require hiring 220,000 -- 409,000 ICE staff, up from 20,000, with estimated costs between $315 billion and $1 trillion, according to the American Immigration Council (AIC)
* Mass deportation of 13.3 million undocumented immigrants could reduce US GDP by 4.2% -- 6.8%, AIC data states.
* India seeks to protect legal immigration channels, with its citizens accounting for nearly 75% of the 386,000 H-1B visas granted in 2023.
-- By Archis Mohan
