India set to take back 18,000 citizens from US to placate Trump

In return, New Delhi hopes student and H-1B visas – a large proportion of which go to Indian citizens – will be protected

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Immigrants from India walk next to the Trump-built US-Mexico border fence after crossing into Arizona on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:13am, 22 Jan 2025Updated: 8:16am, 22 Jan 2025

India’s government is prepared to work with Donald Trump’s administration to identify and take back all its citizens living illegally in the United States, an early signal from New Delhi that it’s willing to comply with the incoming American president and avoid a trade war.

The US has identified some 18,000 illegal Indian migrants to be sent back home, for which India will verify and start the process of deportation, according to people familiar with the matter.

The figure could be much higher than that, though, given that it’s unclear how many Indian migrants live illegally in the US, the people added, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private.

Youth from western India, in particular the states of Punjab and Gujarat, are believed to constitute a majority of the undocumented immigrants in the US, the people said.

Like several other nations, India is working behind the scenes to appease the Trump administration and avoid the brunt of its trade threats.

The crackdown on illegal migration has been a signature campaign pledge for Trump. Within hours of his inauguration on Monday, the new president moved to fulfil that promise as he pushed to end birthright citizenship and mobilise troops on the US-Mexico border.