Overview
- India’s Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that 1,076 Indian nationals have been deported from the United States so far in 2026, following 3,567 removals in 2025 and more than 4,600 returns in the last 17 months.
- New Delhi and Washington are holding continuous high-level dialogue to balance facilitation of legal migration with steps to curb illegal migration, and India requires document-based nationality verification before accepting returnees.
- India has lodged formal protests over alleged mistreatment of deportees, citing cases such as the reported maltreatment of Harjit Kaur and the shackling of women and children on a deportation flight, and has sought assurances on humane treatment.
- U.S. enforcement actions have focused on people with criminal records and undocumented status, exemplified by ICE Los Angeles’ arrest of Parminderpal Singh, who is in custody pending removal.
- The rise in removals increases immediate welfare and reintegration needs for returnees and is likely to shape ongoing talks on faster verification, tighter repatriation protocols, and protections for vulnerable people without altering established legal migration pathways.