The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said India will bring back its nationals overstaying in the United States or elsewhere.
In a weekly press briefing on Friday, MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “For Indian nationals, whether in the United States or elsewhere, if they are overstaying or residing in a country without proper documentation, we will bring them back, provided the necessary documents to verify their nationality are shared with us.”
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His remarks came in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants in the country. The US government has reportedly detained hundreds of illegal immigrants and started deporting them to their respective countries.
According to some reports, around 18,000 Indians are also likely to face deportation. However, when Jaiswal was asked about the number of Indian nationals being taken back form the US, he said “any discussion on numbers will be premature”.
Jaiswal further stated that New Delhi is against illegal migration, linking it to organised crime.
“Illegal migration and trade are two separate issues. Our approach, policy, and stance on illegal migration are very clear. We are against illegal migration, and the reason for this is that it is linked to organized crime,” said Jaiswal.
On Foreign Secretary’s visit to China
Responding to a question on Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s visit to China, the MEA spokesman said that all issues of bilateral interest will be discussed.
“Regarding the upcoming visit of the Foreign Secretary which is going to happen on 26,27 January, the Foreign Secretary will be meeting his counterpart, the Vice Minister in China, where all issues of bilateral interest will be discussed. This meeting flows from the understanding that the leaders reached in Kazan, and subsequent to that, we’ve had meetings at the special representatives’ level, and we’ve had foreign minister-level meetings as well.”
