The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) conducted a “chartered deportation flight” to return an unspecified number of Indian nationals who could not “establish a legal basis” to remain in the United States, according to an official statement.

The press release, published by the American embassy, ​​does not specify how many Indian nationals were on board the flight operated on October 22. Sources familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that the deportation of Indian nationals on a chartered flight was a result of ongoing bilateral cooperation to deter illegal immigration.

“On October 22, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), conducted a large-scale charter flight to the Republic of India to deport nationals Indians who had not established a legal basis to remain in the country. in the United States,” the statement said.

This decision demonstrates DHS’s “continued commitment to continued sustainable cooperation with the Government of India and other international partners to reduce and deter irregular migration and work jointly to combat human trafficking,” it said. he.

The people cited above said India and the United States are committed to deterring illegal immigration as part of their cooperation on migration and mobility. “This is being done to create more opportunities for legal migration from India to the United States,” one of the people said.

“The latest expulsion of Indian nationals by chartered flight is the result of this cooperation. Such evictions have been happening for several years,” the person added.

The U.S. statement said DHS is rapidly returning people without legal basis to remain in the United States as part of efforts to enforce immigration laws and “impose harsh consequences on those who enter (the country). ) illegally”.

“Since June 2024, when the Presidential Securing the Border Proclamation and accompanying interim final rule took effect, encounters between ports of entry along the southwest border have decreased by 55%,” the statement said.

“Indian nationals without a legal basis to remain in the United States are likely to be quickly deported, and would-be migrants should not fall for the lies of smugglers who claim otherwise,” said Kristie A Canegallo, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the United States. interim internal security.

Since June of this year, DHS has expelled or returned more than 160,000 people and operated more than 495 international repatriation flights to more than 145 countries, including India. Other countries to which DHS has returned individuals in the past year include Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Egypt, Mauritania, Senegal, Uzbekistan and China.

DHS engages with foreign governments to accept repatriations of their nationals without a legal basis to remain in the United States. It also promotes the use of safe, legal and orderly migration routes, and holds “transnational criminal networks accountable for illicit trafficking and exploitation of vulnerable people”.