The Department of Homeland Security has announced that the United States arranged for a chartered flight to repatriate Indian nationals residing in the country without legal authorization, in collaboration with the Indian government. This flight was dispatched to India on October 22, as reported on Friday. Kristie A. Canegallo, a senior official acting as Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, emphasized that Indian nationals lacking a legal right to remain in the United States face prompt removal, cautioning potential migrants against the misleading claims of smugglers. The statement further highlighted that the DHS remains committed to enforcing U.S. immigration laws and imposing stringent penalties on unlawful entrants, while promoting the use of legitimate immigration pathways.
Since the implementation of the Securing the Border Presidential Proclamation and the associated Interim Final Rule in June 2024, there has been a notable 55 percent reduction in encounters at the southwest border’s ports of entry.In the fiscal year 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) successfully removed or returned more than 160,000 individuals and conducted upwards of 495 international repatriation flights to over 145 nations, including India, as reported in the statement. The department consistently collaborated with foreign governments across the hemisphere and globally to facilitate the repatriation of their nationals who lacked a legal basis to remain in the United States. This initiative was one of several strategies employed by the U.S. to mitigate irregular migration, encourage the adoption of safe, lawful, and orderly migration pathways, and hold transnational criminal organizations accountable for the smuggling and exploitation of vulnerable populations.Throughout the past year, the DHS has executed removals of individuals from a diverse array of countries, including but not limited to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Egypt, Mauritania, Senegal, Uzbekistan, China, and India.
