Over 3,800 Indian nationals deported from US in 2025: Govt tells Parliament

New Delhi (PTI): Over 3,800 Indian nationals were deported from the US in 2025, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

The figures include 3,414 Indians deported through Washington till mid-December, according to the data shared in a tabulated form in a written response to a query by Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh.

Congress member Randeep Singh Surjewala asked the number of Indian nationals deported from the United States and other countries during the last five years, preventive measures including registration or licensing of travel agencies and border coordination taken to protect vulnerable youth, and whether any targets or timelines have been fixed to reduce the illegal "Dunki route" migration.

The phrase "donkey route" or "Dunki route" refers to the route used for illegal immigration, largely in context of North America.

In 2025, over 3,800 Indian nationals were deported from the US, according to the data shared in the written response.

The tabulated data also included locations of Indian consulates in the US and the corresponding number of deportations in 2025, viz., consulates of India in New York (47), Atlanta (31), Houston (234), San Francisco (49) and Seattle (31).

Singh said the government of India works in close coordination with the US and other foreign governments on all matters pertaining to deportation of Indian citizens.

"Such deportations are subject to an unambiguous verification of their Indian nationality," he said.

The government is in constant dialogue with the US government regarding the need for "humane treatment" of Indian nationals during such deportation operations. "We have registered our concerns with the US authorities, particularly with respect to use of restraints on the deportees, especially women and children," the MoS said.

Based on the accounts and testimonies given by returning deportees, the central and respective state governments along with the relevant law enforcement agencies have registered a number of cases, and investigations as well as actions are ongoing against several illegal recruitment agents, criminal facilitators and human trafficking syndicates that run these rackets, the government said.

The government accords utmost priority to the safety, security and well-being of Indian nationals proceeding for employment abroad. According to The Emigration Act 1983, no person or agency can function as a recruiting agent (RA) without a valid licence issued by the registering authority who is the Protector General of Emigrants.

"Mandatory registration of RA is aimed to reduce fraud and exploitation of prospective Indian emigrants proceeding for employment abroad. It is also mandatory for ECR passport holders proceeding for employment to any of the 19 notified Emigration Check Required (ECR) countries to obtain Emigration Clearance (EC) from the office of the Protector of Emigrants (PoE)," he added.

The ministry also issues advisories through eMigrate portal, social media handles and other modes of publicity about the perils of fake job rackets and ways to prevent the same. Till December 2025, "a total of 3,505 unregistered agents in country have been notified on the eMigrate portal," he said.