In October, a chartered flight operated by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) repatriated over 100 Indian nationals, marking an increasing trend of deportations to India. This “removal flight” to Punjab underscored a growing wave of Indians being sent back from the US after failing to establish a legal basis for residency. In the 2024 US fiscal year ending September, more than 1,000 Indian nationals were deported via chartered and commercial flights, highlighting a steady rise in removals over recent years, according to Royce Bernstein Murray, Assistant Secretary at the US Department of Homeland Security.
Since October 2020, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has detained nearly 170,000 Indian migrants attempting unauthorized crossings at the US-Mexico and US-Canada borders. Indian nationals are now the largest group of migrants from outside the Western Hemisphere attempting illegal entry into the US. With an estimated 725,000 undocumented Indians in the US, they represent the third-largest unauthorized immigrant group after those from Mexico and El Salvador, according to the Pew Research Center.
Many Indian migrants, predominantly men aged 18-34, hail from Punjab and Haryana, regions grappling with high unemployment, farming crises, and economic distress. Migration is deeply rooted in these areas, driven by aspirations of better opportunities and social prestige associated with family members “settled” abroad. Gujarat, another significant source, contributes migrants who often navigate arduous and costly routes, sometimes paying up to $100,000 to agents. Families frequently sell land or take high-interest loans to fund these journeys.
The northern US-Canada border has become a prominent entry point due to shorter Canadian visa processing times and less militarized surveillance compared to the southern border. Areas like Vermont’s Swanton Sector have seen a surge in Indian migrants, with 2,715 encounters recorded in June 2024 alone. However, these routes are not without risks. In January 2022, an Indian family from Gujarat tragically froze to death while attempting to cross into the US from Canada.
As migration patterns evolve, family units now account for 16-18% of border detentions, a stark increase from predominantly single adults in previous years. However, challenges loom. The impending Trump administration’s strict immigration policies, prioritizing northern border security, are likely to complicate illegal crossings further. Despite this, the resilience of those chasing the American Dream remains unshaken, even as the journey grows increasingly perilous.
