“We are against illegal immigration… will take them back after verification”: MEA amid US deportation operations
| 2025-01-24
Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal briefs the media on January 24, 2025.
India & US have a very strong relationship and the economic ties are very special, says MEA
As the United States of America pressed ahead with a major deportation exercise, India reiterated its firm position against illegal immigration with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) saying it would facilitate the return of Indians overstaying or residing without proper documentation in the US or any other country. The MEA, however, maintained that any talk about numbers was “premature”.
“We are against illegal immigration, especially because it is linked to several forms of organised crime,” MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to questions at the weekly media briefing on Friday (January 24, 2025).
“For Indians not just in the United States, but anywhere in the world, if they are Indian nationals and they are overstaying, or they are in a particular country without proper documentation, we will take them back provided documents are shared with us so that we can verify their nationality and that they are indeed Indians. If that happens to be the case we will take things forward and facilitate their return to India,” Jaiswal stated.
“You talked about numbers. At this point in time, any talk about numbers is premature,” he added.
The matter was raised by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Washington DC on January 21, 2025, for what was his first bilateral meeting after assuming office in the Trump administration.
According to the US Department of State, they discussed a wide range of topics, including regional issues and opportunities to further deepen the U.S.-India relationship, in particular on critical and emerging technologies, defense cooperation, energy, and on advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
“Secretary Rubio also emphasized the Trump Administration’s desire to work with India to advance economic ties and address concerns related to irregular migration,” State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.
Interacting with the media in Washington DC after the meeting, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar highlighted India’s position on the issue, saying the government was very supportive of legal mobility as it believed in a global workplace and was very firmly opposed to illegal mobility and illegal migration.
“So with every country, and the U.S. is no exception, we have always taken the view that if there are any of our citizens who are not here legally, if we are sure that they are our citizens, we have always been open to their legitimate return to India,” he explained.
The External Affairs Minister also emphasized the need to verify if the individual concerned was of Indian origin when he was asked about a news report claiming that India was working with the Trump administration to deport about 18,000 undocumented Indians.
“I’ve seen some numbers. I caution you about them, because for us a number is operative when we can actually validate the fact that the individual concerned is of Indian origin,” EAM Jaishankar stated, adding that one had to look into aspects like the basis of their stay. “At our end we have to verify that they are indeed Indians, because naturally there are sensitivities involved there as well,” he stated.
On Friday, the MEA Spokesperson said EAM Jaishankar also raised the issue of visas with Secretary Rubio. “There have been delays in the issuing of visas by several countries, particularly the US, since Covid and even later. We have been continuously taking up the matter of these delays,” he stated.
According to Jaiswal, people-to-people and economic ties between the countries would improve if visas were issued conveniently.
Responding to a question on the issue of tariff, MEA Spokesperson Jaiswal said, "India-US relationship is very strong, multifaceted and the economic ties are something which is very special...We have established mechanisms between the US and India to discuss any matter related to trade...Our approach has always been to address issues in a constructive manner which is in keeping with the interests of both countries...We remain in close communication with the US administration”.
Mass deportation of migrants living in the US without valid documentation was one of the major promises during Donald Trump’s Presidential campaign. His administration announced major deportation operations soon after his inauguration as US President on January 20, 2025.
Trump has also talked about imposing tariff to protect American interests when it comes to trade.
“We are against illegal immigration, especially because it is linked to several forms of organised crime,” MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to questions at the weekly media briefing on Friday (January 24, 2025).
“For Indians not just in the United States, but anywhere in the world, if they are Indian nationals and they are overstaying, or they are in a particular country without proper documentation, we will take them back provided documents are shared with us so that we can verify their nationality and that they are indeed Indians. If that happens to be the case we will take things forward and facilitate their return to India,” Jaiswal stated.
“You talked about numbers. At this point in time, any talk about numbers is premature,” he added.
The matter was raised by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Washington DC on January 21, 2025, for what was his first bilateral meeting after assuming office in the Trump administration.
According to the US Department of State, they discussed a wide range of topics, including regional issues and opportunities to further deepen the U.S.-India relationship, in particular on critical and emerging technologies, defense cooperation, energy, and on advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
“Secretary Rubio also emphasized the Trump Administration’s desire to work with India to advance economic ties and address concerns related to irregular migration,” State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.
Interacting with the media in Washington DC after the meeting, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar highlighted India’s position on the issue, saying the government was very supportive of legal mobility as it believed in a global workplace and was very firmly opposed to illegal mobility and illegal migration.
“So with every country, and the U.S. is no exception, we have always taken the view that if there are any of our citizens who are not here legally, if we are sure that they are our citizens, we have always been open to their legitimate return to India,” he explained.
The External Affairs Minister also emphasized the need to verify if the individual concerned was of Indian origin when he was asked about a news report claiming that India was working with the Trump administration to deport about 18,000 undocumented Indians.
“I’ve seen some numbers. I caution you about them, because for us a number is operative when we can actually validate the fact that the individual concerned is of Indian origin,” EAM Jaishankar stated, adding that one had to look into aspects like the basis of their stay. “At our end we have to verify that they are indeed Indians, because naturally there are sensitivities involved there as well,” he stated.
On Friday, the MEA Spokesperson said EAM Jaishankar also raised the issue of visas with Secretary Rubio. “There have been delays in the issuing of visas by several countries, particularly the US, since Covid and even later. We have been continuously taking up the matter of these delays,” he stated.
According to Jaiswal, people-to-people and economic ties between the countries would improve if visas were issued conveniently.
Responding to a question on the issue of tariff, MEA Spokesperson Jaiswal said, "India-US relationship is very strong, multifaceted and the economic ties are something which is very special...We have established mechanisms between the US and India to discuss any matter related to trade...Our approach has always been to address issues in a constructive manner which is in keeping with the interests of both countries...We remain in close communication with the US administration”.
Mass deportation of migrants living in the US without valid documentation was one of the major promises during Donald Trump’s Presidential campaign. His administration announced major deportation operations soon after his inauguration as US President on January 20, 2025.
Trump has also talked about imposing tariff to protect American interests when it comes to trade.
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