More than 700,000 Indian citizens are living in uncertainty under the Trump administration in the United States. With the Trump administration beginning the process of deporting undocumented immigrants residing in the U.S., the future of over 725,000 Indians has become uncertain. Over 5.4 million Indians or people of Indian origin reside in the U.S., making Indians the largest group among Asian-origin residents in the country. A majority of them are affected by this uncertainty, residing with H-1B visas, some with permanent resident status, and a few as naturalized citizens. Nearly half of the Indian diaspora lives in California, Texas, New Jersey, and New York.
Of the 5.4 million Indians in the U.S., 725,000 are undocumented immigrants. As soon as Donald Trump took the oath of office and announced his decision to deport all undocumented non-Americans, the future of these 725,000 Indians became uncertain. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has informed the Trump administration that India will accept around 18,000 Indians listed in the first deportation list. The US had already sent back 1,500 Indians in the financial year 2024 under a lenient Biden administration.
On the very first day of his presidency, Donald Trump issued 12 executive orders, two of which significantly impacted Indian-Americans. Through one executive order, Trump ended the right to birthright citizenship, and with another, declared a state of emergency at the national border. This move dashed the dreams of 7.25,000 Indians aspiring for a prosperous and luxurious life in America.
Under the Trump administration, children born to any non-American couple in the U.S. will no longer automatically receive U.S. citizenship. Children of foreign nationals residing in the U.S. on H-1B visas or with permanent residency permits will also no longer be granted birthright citizenship. To obtain U.S. citizenship by birth, at least one parent must already be a U.S. citizen. This decision by Trump will leave millions of children born to Indian parents stateless, creating a severe crisis for Indian families. The future of Indian children born in the U.S. is now in jeopardy.
Furthermore, with the declaration of a state of emergency at the border, Trump has ordered the deportation of 14 million undocumented non-Americans living in the U.S. Among these, 17,940 Indians are listed in the first deportation list by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). To carry out this deportation process, the Trump administration has deployed military forces in the country.
Currently, there are 725,000 undocumented Indians residing in the U.S. They, too, are expected to be deported soon. Indians rank third on the list of undocumented non-Americans in the U.S., following citizens of Mexico and El Salvador. The Trump administration plans to deport all undocumented Indians, along with others, in the near future. While India has agreed to take back the 17,940 Indians listed in the first round of deportations, the fate of the remaining seven lakh Indians remains uncertain. Whether or not they will be deported soon is still unclear.