The article first appeared in Hindustan Times on Feb 11, 2025.
Illegal immigration from India to the United States has seen significant shifts over the years. According to the latest publicly available data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Indians accounted for only 2% of the total illegal immigrant population in the US. More notably, the number of illegal Indian immigrants in the country decreased from 560,000 in 2015 to 220,000 in 2022. This decline also led to a drop in their proportion within the overall Indian population in the US, from 16.6% in 2015 to 6.9% in 2022.
Despite this decline in the total number of illegal Indian immigrants, there has been a sharp increase in their attempted entries and asylum requests in recent years. Illegal border apprehensions of Indians rose dramatically from just 1,000 in 2020 to 43,000 in 2023. Similarly, asylum applications surged from 5,000 in 2021 to 51,000 in 2023. A significant change in migration patterns has also been observed, with illegal crossings shifting from the US-Mexico southwestern border to the northern border with Canada. Among these migrants, Punjabi-speaking individuals constituted the largest group.
These findings come from a recent research paper authored by political scientist Devesh Kapur and PhD scholar Abby Budiman, published by Johns Hopkins University. Their study highlights the complexity of illegal immigration trends rather than reinforcing the notion of an outright surge in illegal Indian immigrants. The data suggests that while the overall number of undocumented Indians in the US has decreased, the number of new arrivals has increased. This evolving trend underscores a shift in migration routes, methods, and the socio-political factors driving these movements.
The research has also gained attention amid ongoing political debates in India regarding deportations of illegal immigrants from the US. The issue became particularly relevant during the Donald Trump presidency, and it continues to be a topic of discussion as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares for high-level talks in Washington, DC. Given the geopolitical and diplomatic significance…
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