India is open to taking back undocumented citizens and is currently screening those in the United States who could be deported. This was confirmed by the head of Indian diplomacy, Subrahmanjam Jaishankar.
India is ready to take back its citizens who are staying in the United States without documents. This was announced by Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar after a meeting with his ministry partner from the US, Marco Rubio, TASR writes, according to a Thursday report by AFP.
India is open to taking back undocumented citizens and is currently vetting people in the United States who could be deported, Jaishankar said. “We want Indian talent and skills to have as many opportunities as possible at the global level. But at the same time, we strongly reject illegal mobility and migration,” Jaishankar told a group of Indian journalists in Washington on Wednesday.
They could deport roughly 18,000 Indians
“For any country, and the US is no exception, we have always been of the view that if any of our citizens are there illegally … we are always open to their legitimate return to India,” he said.
According to media reports, India is working with the Trump administration to deport around 18,000 Indians who are either undocumented or have expired visas.
Jaishankar met with Rubio in Washington on Tuesday, the day after President Trump’s inauguration. The US president issued several executive orders this week aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration and speeding up the deportation of millions of immigrants.
The fifth largest economy in the world
Rubio “emphasized the Trump administration’s desire to work with India to develop economic relations and address issues related to illegal migration,” US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said after Tuesday’s meeting.
India is the fifth largest economy in the world. However, hundreds of thousands of its citizens look for better job opportunities abroad every year, and their most popular destination is the United States.
The latest U.S. Census showed that the number of people of Indian origin increased by about 50 percent to 4.8 million in the decade to 2020.
