Illegal Immigration From India Jumps 125 Percent

[Riaz Haq]

Illegal Immigration From India Jumps 125 Percent
By Riaz Haq
http://riazhaq.blogspot.com

There are an estimated 270,0000 illegal Indian immigrants in the United States, according to 2006 figures from the US Department of Homeland Security. With 125% percent increase from 2000 to 2006, India represents the fastest growing source of illegal immigrants to the United States, reports San Jose Mercury News, a major Silicon Valley newspaper. In absolute numbers, Central and South American nations account for the bulk of the estimated 11.5 million illegals, with India a distant second with 270,000 in 2006.

The vast majority of the estimated 2.5m Indians in the United States are legal immigrants with about a half of them with citizenship status. Highly educated with many in professionals such as doctors and engineers, Indians are a very affluent ethnic group whose median household income is 62% higher than the national average.

The top three geographies with the highest concentrations of Indians in the US are San Francisco Bay Area at number 1, New York/New Jersey/Connecticut area at number 2 and Chicago at number 3.

As the demand for high-tech workers in Silicon Valley has grown, so has the influx of Indians on H-1B visas. At 44%, Indians accounted for the lion's shares of H1B visas in 2005-06, five times the number from the second-place Chinese.

The estimated number of people of Pakistani origin in the United States is about 500,000. The top three geographies are NY/NJ/CT tri-state area, Chicago metropolitan area and Southern California. Pakistani Americans are the sixth largest Asian American ethnic group after Chinese, Filipinos, Indians, Vietnamese, Koreans, and Japanese communities. The demographics and socio-economic status of Pakistanis in the United States are quite similar to Indians'. Pakistan does not show up in the list of top 10 countries of origin for legal or illegal immigration to the United States.

[Riaz Haq]

US Sends Back Illegal Indian Immigrants On Chartered Flight Ahead Of PollsThe charter flight was sent to India on October 22, the Department of Homeland Security said on Friday.

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-sends-back-illegal-indian-immigr...

Washington:
The US hired a chartered flight to deport Indian nationals who were staying in the country illegally, the Department of Homeland Security has said, noting that this has been done in cooperation with the Indian government.

The charter flight was sent to India on October 22, the department said on Friday. "Indian nationals without a legal basis to remain in the United States are subject to swift removal, and intending migrants should not fall for the lies of smugglers who proclaim otherwise," said Kristie A. Canegallo, a senior official performing the duties of Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security.

The statement said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to enforce US immigration laws and deliver tough consequences for those who enter unlawfully and encourages the use of lawful pathways.

Since June 2024, when the Securing the Border Presidential Proclamation and accompanying Interim Final Rule went into effect, encounters between ports of entry along the southwest border of the US have decreased by 55 per cent.

In fiscal year 2024, the DHS removed or returned over 160,000 individuals and operated more than 495 international repatriation flights to more than 145 countries, including India, the statement said.

It said the department regularly engaged with foreign governments throughout the hemisphere and around the world to accept repatriations of their nationals without a legal basis to remain in the US.

This was one tool among many that the US used to reduce irregular migration, promote the use of safe, lawful and orderly pathways, and hold transnational criminal networks accountable for smuggling and exploitation of vulnerable people, it said.

Over the last year, DHS has removed individuals from a range of countries worldwide, including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Egypt, Mauritania, Senegal, Uzbekistan, China, and India.

[Riaz Haq]

Ashok Swain
@ashoswai
If India has become a land of milk and honey under Modi’s 11years of rule, why Indians, mostly Gujaratis, ‘using’ their kids to flee to the United States?

https://x.com/ashoswai/status/1916887838291067061

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Indian migrants are 'abandoning' their minor children at US borders - Here's why - World News | The Financial Express

https://www.financialexpress.com/world-news/indian-migrants-are-aba...

The horrifying trend has gained momentum in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic --- with data showing that at least 77 unaccompanied minors were apprehended by border security between October 2024 and February 2025 (Photo: AP)
An increasing number of Indian children have been found ‘abandoned’ at the US borders in recent years by families hoping to score green cards. The horrifying trend has gained momentum in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic — with data showing that at least 77 unaccompanied minors were apprehended by border security between October 2024 and February 2025. Meanwhile the Donald Trump-administration is reportedly planning to seek out unaccompanied immigrant children to deport or prosecute them amid a sweeping crackdown on immigration.

According to a Times of India report, several Gujarati families have admitted to following this route of deliberate abandonment in order to secure green cards. A notable case cited by the publication pertained to a couple from Mehsana where the father (a lawyer) shared how he and his wife had moved to Atlanta illegally amid the pandemic — leaving their two-year-old son in India. Three years later the toddler was brought to the US by a cousin (also travelling illegally) and abandoned at the border near Texas with only a note outlining contact details.

In most cases the children are somewhat older — ranging from 12 to 17 — and find themselves abandoned at the US-Mexico border. Official data indicates that 22 children (out of 77) were caught taking the difficult route via Canada while a few others were intercepted within the country. The children act like ‘green cards’ — creating an opportunity for the parents to seek refuge on ‘humanitarian grounds’.


“I knew they were not going to be in danger. They were with my friends and relatives…and they were ultimately going to be in the custody of US law agencies….We can’t wait till our kids complete their studies in India and then opt for legal ways to enter the US. If they are there already when they are young, they can complete their studies, find a job and earn decent money,” a man from Gujarat told ToI.

But as the Trump administration continues to harden its stance on migration, such children might soon face deportation or criminal cases. According to report by The Guardian, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials may now be seeking out unaccompanied immigrant children across the US for such reasons while conducting ‘welfare visits’. Legal advice provided to unaccompanied minors has also been slashed this year — with funds not flowing despite court intervention. The federal agency monitoring unaccompanied immigrant children has also reportedly begun sharing sensitive data with ICE.