India-US Deportations Reach 18,822 Since 2009, MEA Data Reveal

(UNITED STATES) A total of 18,822 Indian nationals have been deported from the United States 🇺🇸 since 2009, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha in a recent reply, placing hard numbers on a trend that Indian lawmakers say is reshaping thousands of migrant lives and putting fresh pressure on New Delhi’s consular system.

The disclosure, drawn from joint data compiled by Indian missions in the United States and the Ministry of Home Affairs, shows that deportations in 2025 are running sharply higher than in many previous years. Between January and early December 2025, 3,258 Indian nationals were sent back by US authorities, Jaishankar said, in information reported by both Indian Express and NDTV.

Causes and context

Officials in New Delhi link the recent spike partly to the return of President Trump to the White House and a stricter crackdown on illegal migration across the southern border and at airports. According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, Trump’s renewed focus on removals has led US agencies to move more quickly on migrants who enter without documents or fall out of legal status, especially those caught soon after crossing from Mexico.

Indian missions and the Ministry of Home Affairs say the data reflect both routine enforcement and a broader shift in US removal operations.

Year-wise trend (2009–2025)

The year-wise figures given to lawmakers show how deportations have grown and fluctuated over time. Below is the official series published on the Delhi Data Portal and cited in Parliament.

(Note: some intermediate years are summarized as “hundreds” in the original text; the table highlights the explicitly provided figures.)

Mode of removal (2025 breakdown)

Jaishankar provided details on how the 3,258 deportations in 2025 were carried out:

• 2,032 people (62.3%) were placed on regular commercial flights, usually escorted until boarding.
• 1,226 people (37.6%) were moved on chartered flights operated by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

These figures have become politically sensitive, especially regarding the treatment of deportees on charter flights.

Restraining policy and human rights concerns

Human rights concerns focus on how migrants are restrained on charter flights. Since November 19, 2012, the US has followed what Jaishankar described as a “Restraining Policy” for deportation flights, part of ICE’s Standard Operating Procedure.

• Indian lawmakers report accounts of deportees being handcuffed, shackled at waist and ankles, and in some cases strapped to seats for long-haul journeys back to India.
• Media coverage of particular flights prompted emotional testimony from families, while officials have said restraint practices vary by risk profile and case nature.

“The process of deportation (by the US) is not new… it has been there for years. This is not a policy applicable to only one country,” Jaishankar said, according to MEA Rajya Sabha records.

On a specific case highlighted in media reports, Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha that “she wasn’t handcuffed,” using it to argue that treatment can differ by case. He also said India is “engaging with the US to ensure deportees are not mistreated.”

US officials defend restraint use as a safety measure on flights carrying large numbers of people, pointing to internal rules posted on ICE’s site and public guidance such as the ICE removals and returns information.

Criminal cases and high-security returns

Not all deportations are routine removals. The numbers include people wanted in India for serious crimes who were located and removed by US authorities.

• Jaishankar confirmed returns of individuals such as Lakhwinder Singh and Anmol Bishnoi, linked in Indian police files to terrorism, homicide, attempted murder, and extortion.
• Such returns are often carried out on special flights under tight security and are highlighted by Indian agencies as successes in cross-border law enforcement cooperation.

Profile of most deportees

Consular officials say the bulk of the 18,822 deported since 2009 are not hardened criminals but:

• Migrants who crossed borders irregularly
• People who overstayed tourist visas
• Those who violated work or student visa rules

Many originate from smaller towns in Punjab, Haryana, and parts of Gujarat, where local agents promise quick entry to the US via Latin American routes that involve multiple border crossings and smugglers before reaching the US–Mexico border.

Human trafficking, debt, and community impact

Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha that deportation operations have, in some cases, exposed wider human trafficking networks.

• The highest number of trafficking-related cases traced back to Punjab.
• Families sometimes mortgage land or sell assets to fund journeys that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
• On return, many migrants are deeply in debt and lack clear options for legal migration in future.

For families, sudden deportation often brings shock and shame, with stories of borrowed money, unfinished degrees, and lost dreams.

Students and deportation

The impact on students is smaller in absolute numbers but highly visible:

• Over the last five years, 45 Indian students have been deported from the United States, mostly for violating visa terms or not following university and immigration rules.
• Some were turned back at airports before formally entering; others were removed after status checks.
• Many cases involve confusion over work limits on student visas, unpaid internships, or online programs that do not meet US visa rules, rather than deliberate fraud.

Source: figures cited by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh and reported by India TV News.

Government responses and prevention efforts

Indian lawmakers have asked whether New Delhi can do more to prevent unsafe journeys. Government actions include:

• Awareness drives in high-risk districts
• Police cases against local “travel agents”
• Efforts to strengthen cooperation with countries along the Latin American corridor, including Panama (which appears in 2025 return statistics)

Despite these steps, the steady rise in deportation figures indicates that demand for irregular routes remains strong.

US enforcement stance

From the US agencies’ perspective:

• ICE and CBP say removals target people with final orders of deportation issued by immigration judges.
• Agencies emphasize they must carry out those orders unless courts block them, arguing firm enforcement is necessary to keep the system credible.

Consular and border procedures after a deportation

Each confirmed deportation triggers a standard set of consular and policing steps:

1. Verification of identity by Indian missions in the US, often with cross-checks against passport records and local authorities.
2. In some cases, persons claiming to be Indian are found to be from other South Asian countries and are repatriated elsewhere.
3. When nationality is confirmed, travel documents are issued.
4. Indian authorities are informed to receive the person on arrival and, where needed, pursue legal cases at home.

Data limitations and human dimension

The data released through Parliament and platforms such as the Delhi Data Portal provide the most detailed public picture so far of forced returns from the United States over the last decade and a half.

• They capture only one end of the migration story: the moment a journey is cut short.
• Behind each of those 18,822 Indian nationals is a family decision, a financial risk, and often a plan to try for legal return when rules permit.