Punjabi speakers lead Indian asylum claims at the US border: Study

Individuals from Punjab (and Haryana) are the primary group of Indian migrants encountered at the US border and filing asylum requests, according to a recent study that analysed the available information on the languages spoken by asylum seekers. Data on the religion and state of origin of illegal migrants to the US is unavailable. 

The study has concluded that 66 per cent of illegal Indian immigrants to the US in the past two decades spoke Punjabi, followed by 14 per cent speaking Hindi and 8 per cent who spoke Gujarati.

 

The study, Unauthorised Indians in the US: Trends and Developments, by Devesh Kapur, South Asia Studies professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and Abby Budiman, a PhD candidate at the school, also observed a huge increase in the number of Hindi speakers in recent years — from just 6 per cent of all Indian cases in 2017 to nearly 30 per cent in 2022.

 

In the US immigration system, asylum applications often rise alongside increases in border apprehensions. According to data collected by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the total number of new asylum requests involving Indian nationals in the US grew tenfold in just two years — from about 5,000 in 2021 to over 51,000 in 2023. This trend is also evident in three other developed countries where Indians constitute one of the largest origin groups among asylum seekers — Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

 

While data on their state of origin or religion is unavailable, information since 2001 on the languages spoken by asylum seekers shows that Punjabi speakers have consistently been the largest group among immigrants who speak Indo-Aryan or Dravidian languages involved in asylum claims and US Immigration Court proceedings. This strongly suggests individuals from India’s Punjab region constitute the primary group of Indian migrants encountered at the US border, the study states.

“It’s tempting to interpret the rise in asylum claims filed by Indian nationals as a consequence of democratic backsliding and increasing authoritarianism in India. However, correlation is not causation,” the authors have noted.

 

The US data suggests that asylum seekers are primarily Punjabi and Gujarati — ethnic groups from some of India’s wealthiest states, who are more likely to afford the high costs of migrating to the West through unauthorised channels. “This contrasts with individuals from less prosperous regions or marginalised groups most affected by current national policies. Disenfranchised communities notably absent from asylum claims include Indian Muslims, individuals from Scheduled Caste populations, and those residing in conflict-ridden areas, such as the Adivasi (tribal) belt and the Kashmir region,” the authors have said.

 

According to them, “ham-handed policies of the Indian government targeting Khalistani activists in the West gave further credence to those from Punjab alleging persecution by Indian authorities”.

 

The study highlights that migration drivers in Gujarat and Punjab are rooted in long-standing traditions of seeking better opportunities overseas. Remittances — India received an estimated $120 billion in 2023 — have visibly contributed to more opulent homes, encouraging others to migrate, not due to extreme poverty but out of “relative deprivation” and fears of limited economic prospects in India. An industry of agents and brokers sprang up in India to facilitate this illegal migration.

 

According to the data, 63 per cent of cases involving Punjabi speakers were granted asylum, while 58 per cent of Hindi speakers also received approval. In contrast, only 25 per cent of cases involving Gujarati speakers were approved. Data from the 2019-2022 American Community Survey (ACS) shows that among all foreign-born Indians in the US, those who report speaking Punjabi at home have the lowest average personal earnings ($48,000), followed by Gujarati speakers ($58,000).

 

The beginning of Joe Biden’s presidency in 2020 coincided with a surge in migrant apprehensions at US borders from all nationalities, driven by a widespread perception that the US was more open — especially in contrast to Donald Trump's stricter immigration policies. “By the time the Biden administration woke up to the domestic political costs of the large migrant surge by the end of 2023 and enacted stronger border control policies, it was too late for the Democrats,” it says.

 

A feature of the trend was a host of diploma mills in Canada that accepted dubious international students, 50,000 of whom did not show up after entering Canada (20,000 from India alone), heading South to the US border, a cheaper and much less arduous entryway than from the Southern border.

 

With the Trump administration deporting migrants in handcuffs on US Army planes, it is signaling its deterrence strategy in highly publicised ways, the study says. However, it warns that “India’s understandable anger over the harsh treatment of its citizens (as has been the case in several Latin American countries) could strain US-India relations if this practice continues”.

 

But the authors suggest India has limited options, as defending illegal migrants would be difficult, and maintaining strong ties with a potential Trump administration means it will swallow its pride and largely accept the hardline stance. Despite this, the complete deportation of all unauthorised Indian migrants remains an unrealistic objective due to immense logistical challenges and time constraints. However, the study expects unauthorised migration to the US will decline sharply, particularly from India.