18,000 Indians on first deportation list as Trump vows action against immigrants

US President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to carry out the largest deportation in American history once he assumes office on January 20, 2025. In preparation, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has compiled a list of approximately 1.5 million individuals marked for deportation. Among them, nearly 18,000 undocumented Indian nationals are on the list prepared by the US government, and at imminent risk of being sent back to India.

According to ICE data released in November 2024, 17,940 Indians are included in the 1.5 million individuals on the non-detained docket with final removal orders in the United States.

The US has approximately 725,000 illegal immigrants from India, making it the third-largest population of unauthorised immigrants after Mexico and El Salvador, according to data from the Pew Research Center.

In October, prior to the release of this data, the US used a chartered flight to deport Indian nationals staying in the country illegally.

The flight, sent to India on October 22, was organised in co-operation with the Indian government, according to the Department of Homeland Security.