By Shan Li, Aakash Hassan and Tripti Lahiri | Photographs by Smita Sharma for WSJ

During a visit to Washington last month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made one point crystal-clear: He would gladly take back illegal Indian migrants in the U.S.

"Anybody who enters another country illegally, they have absolutely no right to be in that country," Modi said during a joint press conference with President Trump. When it comes to illegal immigration, he added, India and the U.S. "have always been of the same opinion."

It is the kind of conciliatory rhetoric that reflects New Delhi's careful approach to the new Trump administration. By conceding to Trump's high-profile deportation campaign, India's primary goal is to preserve its deepening relationship with the U.S., especially in vital areas such as trade and defense.

Another key goal: safeguarding legal paths for Indians to study and work in the U.S., particularly by way of the H-1B visas for high-skilled migrants that are overwhelmingly taken up by Indian citizens.

"At a time when millions of Indians are globe-trotting as tourists, students and professionals, we do not want Indians to be seen as a source of illegal immigration," said an Indian Foreign Ministry official. "We play by rules, we want to be part of the legal club and we should be recognized that way."

Three military deportation flights arrived in India last month alone. Deportees on the three flights were shackled, sparking a public backlash in India. Some opposition lawmakers called on India to follow Colombia's example and send planes to collect its citizens.

Before Trump took office, U.S. authorities last year carried out deportations to India every few months by commercial airlines or chartered flights.

A decade ago, Indians were hardly seen at U.S. borders. They still make up only about 2% of the estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S., according to Department of Homeland Security data.

But in the past four years, Indian citizens became the largest group outside of Latin Americans caught while trying to enter the U.S.

Among those deported was Jasnoor Singh, who spent nine months traveling by plane, bus and on foot through 17 countries to reach the U.S.

Last June, Jasnoor, 19, began the journey by flying to Ghana in West Africa and then Suriname in South America. From there, he traversed through Guyana, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras.

The cost: $50,000 that his grandfather planned to raise by selling ancestral land.

The arduous path to the U.S. was worth it, Singh said, because there are few economic prospects in his home in Punjab, a northern state that is India's agricultural heartland. He was accepted into a university to study business after graduating from high school. But even with a degree, his only option is working at a shop as a clerk.

"Even if I go to college, there are no jobs, no prospects," he said.

He hoped his journey would lead him to the "amazing" life that his U.S.-born cousins in California often told him about.

Political analysts said that India wants to preserve the legal paths to immigration that have sent millions of well-educated Indians to the U.S. over the decades -- a vital safety valve for an economy that hasn't created enough jobs. More than 70% of the H-1B visas the U.S. issues for specialty workers go to India-born applicants year after year, while India has also become the largest source of foreign students in the U.S.

India-born CEOs of top tech companies, such as Microsoft's Satya Nadella and Google's Sundar Pichai, are a point of pride for India. In December, a public rift opened up between members of the U.S. administration who back the H-1B visa, such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and Trump supporters who believe the visa deprives Americans of jobs.

"India does a great job with legal immigration, so you don't want the illegal one messing it up," said Mukesh Aghi, president of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum, ahead of Modi's visit. India discussed illegal immigration with the Trump administration even before the inauguration, he said.

At last month's meeting, Modi and Trump pledged to streamline legal migration for workers and students, while combating illegal immigration and trafficking.

Nearly 18,000 Indians in the U.S. outside of immigration detention are on final removal orders, according to a document from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement made public by Fox News, making them subject to deportation. India said in February it is presently working through a list of nearly 500 individuals flagged for removal by the U.S.

Political experts said that India is also eager to stop illegal migration to the U.S. because it spoils the image of a rapidly booming economy that produces highly skilled professionals.

Job creation and pay for ordinary people have stagnated in India. Many migrants come from families who own vast swaths of land, but who find opportunities are slim outside of farming. High school and college graduates face particularly high unemployment rates.

"They can't really join the modern economy in India, but they have aspirations," said Devesh Kapur, a professor at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University and co-author of a new research paper on illegal Indian migration.

Daler Singh, a 37-year-old truck driver, mortgaged his land, sold his wife's jewelry and borrowed money from relatives to pay a smuggler over $60,000 to help navigate a route that started last August in Dubai.

Several friends who crossed the U.S. border successfully now earn $4,500 a month as truck drivers, compared with $170 a month for a similar job in Amritsar. "In a few years, I would have earned back the money," he said. Singh arrived in the U.S. on Jan. 15 and was detained. He was deported last month.

Emigration is so common in Punjab that it is customary for families to place a statue or water tank in a fanciful shape -- like an eagle, an airplane, a kangaroo or soccer ball -- on their roof to brag about kin overseas. An eagle or a kangaroo can mean a family has relatives in the U.S. or Australia, respectively. Towns are flooded with ads hawking visa services to the U.S., the U.K. and Canada.

U.S. Border Patrol data indicates that trafficking rings have taken note of more liberal visa policies in Canada, which made a big push to attract Indian foreign students in recent years. Indians accounted for more than 14,000 apprehensions by the U.S. Border Patrol on the Canadian border in the year ended Sept. 30, about 60% of the total number held.

Mangal Singh, the 70-year-old grandfather of the teenager Jasnoor, said he wished for his grandson a future in a country where he has the chance to land a well-paying job.

"The problem with the entire India is that there are no jobs," he said. "So what is the point of actually studying for many, many years when you cannot get a better life here?"

Jasnoor Singh entered Mexico in January, and then walked across the Tijuana border on Jan. 21, a day after Trump took office. He was detained by border police and taken to a detention center in San Diego.

"I was very happy and relieved," Jasnoor Singh said. "My dream was coming true."

He initially hoped he could apply for asylum and be released on bail in the U.S. But soon it became clear that he would be deported. He landed in Amritsar on Feb. 16.

The teenager hasn't given up on his American dream. His grandfather said they may have to wait until Trump leaves office.

"Then we will be back on track and headed to the U.S.," he said.

Write to Shan Li at shan.li@wsj.com and Tripti Lahiri at tripti.lahiri@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 05, 2025 08:58 ET (13:58 GMT)

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