US Homeland Security deports Indians staying illegally via chartered flight ‘to counter human smuggling’

The United States has deported a batch of Indian nationals, who did not have proper legal papers and documentation to live in the country. 

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in a statement said that it has used a chartered flight to send Indian nationals back to India on October 22. 

DHS, in a statement said, “On October 22, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), conducted a large-frame charter removal flight to the Republic of India of Indian nationals who did not establish legal basis to remain in the United States”. 

This week’s flight demonstrates the Department’s continued commitment to pursuing sustained cooperation with the Indian government and other international partners to reduce and deter irregular migration and jointly work to counter human smuggling, the agency added. 

“Indian nationals without a legal basis to remain in the United States are subject to swift removal, and intending migrants should not fall for the lies of smugglers who proclaim otherwise,” said Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Kristie A Canegallo. “The Department of Homeland Security will continue to enforce our nation’s laws,” he said. 

DHS said that it continues to enforce US immigration laws and deliver tough consequences for those who enter unlawfully. This includes swiftly returning those without a legal basis to remain in the United States, while encouraging the use of lawful pathways, it said.  

Over the last year, DHS has removed individuals to a range of countries around the world, including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Egypt, Mauritania, Senegal, Uzbekistan, the PRC, and India, the statement said. As a result of these efforts, DHS removed or returned more individuals in FY2024 than any year since FY2010, and DHS continues to expand removal flights operations, it added. 

Both sides are engaged in a process to deter illegal migration, as part of India-US cooperation on migration and mobility.