 Agencies
NEW DELHI, Mar 28: Since January 2025 till date, 636 Indian nationals have been deported to India from the US, the government informed Parliament on Friday.
"Of these, 341 arrived on chartered flights, 55 arrived via Panama on commercial flights, and 240 arrived on separate commercial flights," Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said in a written response to a query in the Lok Sabha.
TMC MP Yusuf Pathan asked whether it is a fact that "the government has offered to repatriate 18,000 illegal Indian immigrants from the United States", and the measures being implemented to ensure the welfare and reintegration of these returnees.
"It is the obligation of all countries to take back their nationals, if they are found to be living illegally abroad. This is however subject to an unambiguous verification of their nationality. This is not a policy that is practised only by India; it is a generally accepted principle in international relations," Singh said.
In his response, he further said, "Since January 2025 till date, a total of 636 Indian nationals have been deported to India from the US. Of these, 341 arrived on chartered flights, 55 arrived via Panama on commercial flights, and 240 arrived on separate commercial flights." The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities have shared with India information pertaining to an additional 295 individuals who are "detained in their custody with final orders of removal from the US. The ministry, along with other agencies concerned, is currently verifying the details for these 295 individuals," he said.
"It's the policy of the Government of India to negotiate mutually advantageous and secure mobility frameworks with other countries that allows for streamlining avenues for legal mobility of students and professionals, and facilitating short-term tourist and business travel, while also addressing illegal immigration and human trafficking by taking strong action against the bad actors, criminal facilitators, and illegal immigration networks," Singh said.
"All necessary assistance to Indian nationals, including to the returnees, is being provided by the government as per extant rules," he said.
The Ministry of External Affairs on March 21 had informed Parliament that 388 Indian nationals had been deported from the US since January 2025 till then.
"Of the 388 Indian nationals deported since January, 333 individuals, after verification, were deported directly from the US to India on three separate chartered flights, which landed on 5th, 15th and 16th February 2025, respectively. Separately, the US, through Panama, deported 55 Indian nationals who arrived in India on commercial flights," Singh had said in a written response to a query in the Lok Sabha. |
