Record 3,258 Indians deported from US this year

India on Thursday disclosed that 2025 has recorded the highest number of deportations from the United States in the last 15 years, with 3,258 Indian nationals sent back till November 28 — a number that surpasses every annual figure since 2009.

Responding to a query in the Rajya Sabha, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said India was working in close coordination with the US authorities on deportation cases, ensuring each individual’s nationality was verified before removal.

Deportations, he said, largely involved individuals who entered the US illegally, overstayed their visas, lacked valid documentation or had criminal convictions.

According to the year-wise data released by the government, 18,822 Indians have been deported from the US since 2009, with numbers rising sharply in recent years. Of the deportees this year, 2,032 individuals (62.3%) returned on commercial flights, while 1,226 (37.6%) were brought back on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) chartered flights — the category where shackling practices have been a subject of concern.

The EAM said the Ministry of External Affairs has repeatedly raised the issue of ‘inhumane’ treatment of deportees, especially the use of shackles, with the US authorities. He added that no instance of shackling of women or minors had been reported since the deportation flight of February 5.

The US, he said, had defended its policies as part of standard operating procedures dating back to 2012, arguing that restraints were used to ensure the safety of deportees and crew, citing past incidents of violence aboard such flights. Women and minors were “generally not shackled”, but the final decision rests with the flight officer.

The minister said deportation flights were also used to send back wanted criminals and gangsters like Lakhwinder Singh and Anmol Bishnoi.

Back home, accounts provided by deportees have triggered investigations into illegal immigration networks and human trafficking syndicates operating in multiple states.

Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha that the NIA had investigated 27 human trafficking cases, leading to 169 arrests and chargesheets against 132 people. Among states, Punjab has reported the highest number of human trafficking cases, prompting the formation of a Special Investigation Team and a fact-finding committee.

“The Punjab Police have registered 25 FIRs against 58 illegal travel agents, arresting 16,” Jaishankar said. In Haryana, the authorities have found 2,325 cases, leading to the registration of 44 FIRs and 27 arrests, while the Gujarat Police have also arrested a “significant trafficker”, he added.

“The government attaches highest priority to the safety and well-being of Indians abroad and continues to work with the US to tackle illegal immigration and human trafficking rackets exploiting vulnerable citizens,” he said.