Threefold jump in the number of Indians deported by the US in 2019

The United States deported 1,616 Indians in 2019, the highest in five years. When compared to the previous year, there is a threefold increase in these numbers. As many as 611 Indians were deported from the US in 2018, according to data obtained from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The information was provided in January 2020 under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

A total of 8,447 Indian nationals were detained in ICE facilities in 2019, for violating immigration laws.  Among them, 8,022 were men, 422 women, while the gender of three was not clear to the American authorities.

In 2018, the US immigration authorities detained 9,818 Indians (including 359 women), the highest till date.

When compared with the 2014 number there were four times jump in the number of Indian detainees. The number was 2,306 six years ago.

Notably, the number of women in the ICE detention centres is increasing almost in the same proportion.

North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) executive director Satnam Singh Chahal had on November 2 sought information from ICE on the number of Indian males and females deported every year from 2014 to 2019 and number of males and females of Indian origin in ICE facilities in the same period.

Releasing the information through a letter dated January 30, 2020, FOIA officer Catrina M Pavlik-Keenan stated that ICE has claimed no deletions or exemptions.

“Although there is no record of deported persons belonging to Punjab, it is believed that most are from the region. A growing number of Indian-origin illegal migrants is a serious matter of concern for all of us and the Government of India and the State of Punjab as illegal immigrants have been moving through Mexico, Arizona and Texas in the United States. These undocumented persons of Indian origin are hoping to reach the US after expensive, arduous, and often dangerous journeys that can take months or even years and can sometimes be fatal,” she said.