The Union Ministry of External Affairs on Friday reiterated India’s opposition to illegal immigration and affirmed its commitment to repatriating Indian nationals residing abroad without proper documentation.

“We have made this clear earlier as well,” said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, in a press briefing. “We are against illegal immigration, especially because it is linked to several forms of organised crimes.”

The statement was in response to reports of India working with the newly-inaugurated Donald Trump administration to deport approximately 18,000 undocumented or visa-overstaying Indian nationals in the United States.

“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,” said Jaiswal.

On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that New Delhi had expressed readiness to cooperate with the US to identify and repatriate Indian citizens residing illegally in the country.

Soon after, Washington stated that it wanted to work with India to advance economic ties and address concerns related to “irregular migration”.

Responding to a question about the number of Indians to be repatriated, Jaiswal said on Friday: “At this time, any talk about numbers is premature.”

On Wednesday, after meetings with United States government officials in Washington, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told reporters that India remained open to the “legitimate return” of undocumented Indian immigrants.

He added that the verification process for determining eligible individuals for deportation from the United States was ongoing and the exact number was yet to be established.

“As a government, we are obviously very much supportive of legal mobility because we do believe in a global workplace,” Jaishankar said.

He added: “We want Indian talent and Indian skills to have the maximum opportunity at the global level. At the same time, we are also very firmly opposed to illegal mobility and illegal migration.”

Bloomberg had reported that while Indian citizens account for only about 3% of all illegal crossings encountered by US border officials in the fiscal year 2024, their numbers are increasing, particularly at the northern US border with Canada.

According to US Customs and Border Protection data, Indians made up nearly a quarter of all illegal crossings at this less-trafficked entry point, making them the largest group of unauthorised migrants stopped there.

A 2022 report by the Department of Homeland Security estimated that 220,000 undocumented Indian immigrants were living in the US. India has demonstrated a cooperative stance on US border enforcement, including under the previous Joe Biden administration, with more than 1,100 Indian citizens deported in the 12 months leading up to October 2024.