Since the beginning of 2025, 2,790 Indian nationals living illegally in the United States have returned to India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. At a weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal shared that these individuals were staying in the US without proper documents or permission.

He said, “Since January, more than 2,790 Indian nationals who did not meet the legal criteria have been sent back. Their identities and nationalities were verified before their return.” He added that all deportations were carried out following proper legal and diplomatic procedures between India and the US.

Jaiswal also spoke about deportations from the United Kingdom, mentioning that around 100 Indian nationals were sent back this year after their identities were verified. “From the UK side, this year we have had around 100 Indian nationals deported after due verification,” he said.

These deportations show the ongoing cooperation between India and other countries to manage migration and control illegal stay or entry. Both the US and the UK are working closely with India to handle cases of undocumented residents and those overstaying their visas.

Meanwhile, according to new data from the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the number of Indians caught trying to illegally enter the US has dropped to its lowest level in four years. Between October 2024 and September 2025, US authorities detained 34,146 Indian nationals attempting to cross the border without authorization. This is a 62 percent drop from the previous year, when 90,415 Indians were caught.

The CBP report, released on October 28, shows a sharp and steady decline in illegal crossings by Indian nationals. Officials say this is the biggest year-on-year drop since 2021, when illegal migration from India started to rise due to post-pandemic economic challenges. Overall, the new figures shows that illegal migration from India to the US is decreasing significantly, while India continues to cooperate with other countries to ensure all deportations are done legally and fairly.