Scores of Illegal Indian migrants deported from US

Villagers from Muslim communities affected by ethnic violence weep at a relief camp in Narayanguri village in Baksa district in the northeastern Indian state of Assam May 4, 2014. India deployed troops in Assam on Saturday after more than 30 Muslims were gunned down in three days of what police said were attacks by Bodo tribal militants, who resent the presence of settlers they claim are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Police on Sunday said the death toll from the Assam attacks now stood at 34 after they found the bodies of two 30-year-old women floating in the Beki river near Narayanguri village, where the worst of the attacks took place. Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi, the prime ministerial front-runner in India's mammoth general election, on Sunday reiterated his strong stance against illegal immigrants, just days after a wave of sectarian killings in the north-eastern state of Assam. REUTERS/Utpal Baruah (INDIA - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS CIVIL UNREST SOCIETY IMMIGRATION)

Source: X00935

An unspecified number of Indian nationals have been returned to their home country through a ‘charter removal flight’ conducted by the United States.

The migrants who couldn’t establish legal basis to remain in the US were removed as part of ongoing repatriation efforts by the US.

“On October 22, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), conducted a large-frame charter removal flight to the Republic of India of Indian nationals who did not establish legal basis to remain in the United States,” a statement from the US Department of Homeland Security was quoted by local reports.

The DHS further indicated that it forms part of its commitment to pursuing sustained cooperation with the Indian government and other international partners to reduce and deter irregular migration and “jointly work to counter human smuggling”.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has reinforced its approach to curbing illegal migration to the United States.

The DHS said the Securing the Border Presidential Proclamation, enacted in June 2024, has been effective in reducing border encounters.

Since the proclamation and an accompanying Interim Final Rule came into effect, encounters at points between official entry ports along the southwest border have dropped by 55%, according to the DHS statement.

The US has so far returned more than 160,000 individuals and operated more than 495 international repatriation flights to more than 145 countries, including India.

Wonder Hagan