1,500 Indians deported from US in FY24 as Biden outdoes Trump in mass deportations

Though Donald Trump talks about deporting illegal immigrants, President Joe Biden’s administration has outdone him on this front. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported over 270,000 immigrants to 192 countries, including India, in fiscal year (FY) 2024, marking the highest level of deportations since 2014. Among those deported, were 1,529 Indians.

The decade-high deportation comes even as US President-elect Donald Trump plans to oversee the largest deportation in American history when he takes office on January 20, 2025. Trump criticised Biden’s handling of immigration policy.

In Trump’s first term, 1,616 Indians were deported, with the number rising to 2,312 in 2020, the year he demitted office.

The deportations did not see a significant decline ever under President Biden.

ICE detained 2,647 Indians for deportation in FY2024, ranking fourth after Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala. ICE has a list of 1.5 million individuals marked for deportation, including nearly 18,000 undocumented Indian nationals.

ICE data shows that the Biden administration has deported a significant number of immigrants as well, including those charged or convicted of criminal activity, as well as known or suspected gang members, terrorists, and human rights violators, surpassing the deportation numbers recorded during Trump’s presidency.

In 2014, ICE removed 315,943 immigrants, and the highest number during Donald Trump’s first term was 267,258 in 2019.

In fiscal year 2022, ICE deported 72,177 immigrants. This figure nearly doubled to 142,580 in FY2023 and again nearly doubled to 271,484 in FY2024 under the Biden administration.

As the Biden administration nears its end in 2025, the US President-elect is set to be sworn in as the 47th President of the US on January 20, 2025, after defeating Democratic rival Kamala Harris in the election held on November 5, 2024.

Tom Homan, picked by Trump as the new “border czar”, stated that he would need Congress to provide funding to strengthen the agency’s resources and carry out the president-elect’s deportation plans, according to CNN.

He mentioned the need for a minimum of 100,000 beds to detain illegal immigrants, more than doubling the current 40,000 detention beds funded for ICE.

INDIANS ARE ON ICE’S DEPORTATION LIST

Indians, who form a strong 5 million community in the US, are also among those deported by ICE.

During Trump’s presidency, 1,616 Indians were deported in FY2019, rising to 2,312 in FY2020, an increase of around 43%.

Under the Biden administration, the number dropped to 292 in FY2021 and 276 in FY2022. The slump might be due to the Covid pandemic and the resultant lockdown across the world.

However, the number increased to 370 in FY2023, and soared to 1,529 in FY2024.

Additionally, ICE detained 2,647 Indians for deportation in FY2024, ranking fourth after Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala.

ICE also has increased deportation flights, including on weekends, and streamlined travel procedures.

For this, ICE has compiled a list of approximately 1.5 million individuals marked for deportation, including nearly 18,000 undocumented Indian nationals.

The unauthorised immigrant population in the US grew to 11 million in 2022, with Indian nationals accounting for 725,000, the third-largest group after Mexicans (4 million) and Salvadorans (750,000).

In 2022, a total of 109,535 individuals attempted illegal crossings from the US-Canada border, with Indians accounting for nearly 16% of the total, approximately 17,000.

In 2023, this number rose to 189,402, including 30,010 Indian nationals. This year, the figures increased further, with 43,764 Indians — about 22% of the total 198,929—attempting illegal entry.

US CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, PRESSURES CANADA AND MEXICO

Deportations, detentions, and illegal crossings involving Indians have soared as they make the third-largest group of unauthorised immigrants.

The US government is taking active steps to address the growing number of undocumented immigrants in the country.

There are two routes for entering the US illegally — the southern border with Mexico and the northern border with Canada.

As part of these efforts, the US has issued a warning to Canada and Mexico, threatening to impose a 25% tariff on goods if both countries fail to take stronger action against illegal immigrants and drug trafficking.

In response to this pressure, Canada has begun tightening security measures at the US-Canada border — the world’s longest border — to prevent illegal crossings and curb related activities.

However, Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum could retaliate with tariffs of its own.