India says it will work with President Donald Trump’s administration to repatriate 18,000 of its citizens who are living in the U.S. illegally. Bloomberg reports the Indian government is preparing to verify the people and begin the deportation process. However, officials involved with the process say the number of Indian citizens in the U.S. illegally could be much higher.
Why is India undertaking this move?
India’s decision to proactively repatriate its citizens comes as countries around the world prepare to work with Trump on various issues and avoid becoming targets for tariffs and other actions the U.S. could take to weaken their trade.
“As part of India-U.S. cooperation on migration and mobility, both sides are engaged in a process to deter illegal migration,” a spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs said. “This is being done to create more avenues for legal migration from India to the U.S.”
The move may also shape how the Trump administration acts on the future of H-1B visas. It’s a contentious issue that has split some of the president’s closest allies.
Almost three-quarters of the nearly 400,000 people who received H-1B visas in 2023 were Indian citizens.
