India-US in talks to repatriate 20k migrants

New Delhi: India may be engaging in backchannel discussions with the Donald Trump administration to address the issue of Indian nationals residing illegally in the US. The two countries are learnt to be collaborating to identify and repatriate around 20,000 individuals. This comes as the new US president intensifies efforts to deport undocumented immigrants. At the same time, New Delhi is hopeful that the Trump administration will continue with the H-1B visa programme for skilled workforce, ET has learnt.

Indians accounted for three-fourths of the 386,000 H-1B visas granted in 2023, according to official data. The crackdown on illegal migration has figured high on Trump's presidential campaign. And, within hours of his inauguration, he announced to end birthright citizenship.

However, ending birthright citizenship provision is easier said than done as it would require US Congressional approval as this came into force as an act of Congress. This may or may not get Congressional approval, sources hinted.

"We will stop illegal immigration once and for all. We will not be invaded, we will not be occupied, we will not be overrun, we will not be conquered. We will be a free and proud nation once again and that will take place tomorrow at 12 o'clock."

Logistically, deporting the estimated 11-14 million undocumented or temporarily documented persons is a challenging task. Nearly half of these individuals have some form of authorisation to live or work legally in the US. However, Trump may implement tough enforcement of immigration regulations, put constraints on work-based immigration, and introduce limitations for international students.