Potential Return of 295 More Indian Deportees from US Under Review, Government Informs Parliament

New Delhi: The Indian government informed Parliament on Friday that an additional 295 Indian nationals could be returning from the United States, pending verification by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

ICE has provided the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) with information on these individuals, who are currently in detention. The US government has issued final removal orders for them.

Earlier in the day, the government confirmed that women and children deported in February were not subjected to restraints during their return flights.

Addressing concerns over religious accommodations, the MEA highlighted the importance of respecting deportees’ religious sensitivities and dietary preferences. The US authorities responded, stating that no detainees on previous deportation flights were required to remove religious head coverings, nor did they request religious accommodations, apart from vegetarian meals.

Since January, a total of 388 Indians have been deported from the US, following an executive order from President Donald Trump mandating the immediate removal of undocumented immigrants.

Last month, a US military aircraft carried 104 deported Indians from San Antonio, Texas, to Amritsar. The C-17 military transport marked the first large-scale deportation under the new policy.

According to the Pew Research Center, an estimated 725,000 undocumented Indian immigrants reside in the US, making them the third-largest group of undocumented immigrants after Mexicans and Salvadorans. However, this figure is disputed by the Migration Policy Institute, which estimates the actual number to be around half of the Pew estimate.