Washington: After Donald Trump became the President of America, preparations have been made to send the Indians living illegally there to their country. The Indian government has indicated to work closely with the Donald Trump administration to identify all its citizens and bring them back. The South China Morning Post has given this information in its report. According to people familiar with the matter, about 18000 illegal Indian immigrants have been identified in America, who are to be sent back home. Trump has signed an executive order on the very first day of his swearing-in, which has laid the ground for mass deportation.

According to the South China Morning Post report, India will verify and start the deportation process to send back illegal immigrants. On the condition of anonymity, people said that the figure of illegal immigrants could be much higher than this, as it is not clear how many Indian immigrants are living illegally in America. In America, youth from western India, especially Punjab and Gujarat, are leading in illegally entering America.

Trump is strict against illegal immigrants

Donald Trump had made immigration a major issue in his election campaign. Within hours of his swearing-in on Monday, the new president took steps to fulfill that promise. Trump has decided to end American citizenship based on birth through an executive order and deploy troops on the US-Mexico border. After Trump's arrival, India has tried to show a cooperative attitude.

What will India get in return?

In return for cooperation, India hopes that the Trump administration will protect the legal measures used by Indian citizens to enter America, such as student visa and H-1B visa program. India's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal has said that 'As part of India-US cooperation on migration and mobility, both sides are engaged in the process of stopping illegal migration. This is being done to create more avenues for legal migration from India to America.' "The recent deportation of Indian nationals from the US by chartered flights is a result of this cooperation," he said, referring to the repatriation action that took place in October.

Illegal Indian migrants in the US

According to US Customs and Border Protection data, Indian nationals account for about 3 per cent of all illegal crossings encountered by US border patrol officers in fiscal year 2024. Latin American countries such as Mexico, Venezuela and Guatemala account for much higher shares. However, the number and share of illegal Indian migrants have been increasing in recent years.

The total number of Indian immigrants living illegally in the US is not certain, but a report published by the Department of Homeland Security last year estimated that about 220,000 unauthorized Indian immigrants were living in the US by 2022.

May help against Khalistanis

According to people familiar with the matter, bringing back illegal migrants could also boost Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's goal of curbing separatist movements abroad. A pro-Khalistan movement is gaining ground on US soil, which India sees as a threat. India has cracked down on the movement and officials believe some of the group's supporters in the US and Canada are illegal immigrants.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi enjoys friendly relations with Trump and has welcomed the new administration. But New Delhi is wary of any unexpected action by the US president, especially after the US president said he plans to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Mexico and Canada by February 1. Trump has repeatedly complained that India's high import taxes hurt the US market and has called on New Delhi to raise tariffs.