Foreign nations often do not disclose illegal stays, leaving a data void

Illegal migration from India to the US has increased in recent years.

On Friday, French authorities grounded a chartered flight headed to Nicaragua, which originated in Dubai, with 303 Indian passengers. Some of them were suspected victims of human trafficking, while the rest might have planned to travel to Central America to attempt illegal entry into the US or Canada, officials told the news agency Agence France-Presse.

According to a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reply to a question in Parliament earlier this month, “there have been reports about Indian nationals trying to enter the US illegally”.

The MEA mentioned that the quoted number has neither been authenticated nor communicated officially by US authorities. However, data published by US Customs and Border Protection on their website indicates that the number of illegal Indian immigrants encountered by US authorities in 2023 was 96,917.

In another reply, the MEA stated that most foreign countries do not provide information on illegal stays unless the individuals are under orders of deportation, and travel document or nationality verification is required.

“As such, our missions and posts do not have any reliable data on the number of Indians staying or working illegally in foreign countries,” it added.

The ministry shares details of illegal agents on the eMigrate portal.

Responding to yet another question, the MEA said that complaints of illegal migration and human trafficking, when received, are referred to the state police forces for investigation and prosecution.