The national flags of US and India.
Credit: Reuters File Photo
New Delhi: A day after the US homeland authorities announced the deportation of Indian nationals who were staying in that country illegally, sources on Saturday said it was a result of the cooperation on migration and mobility between the two nations.
As part of this cooperation, both sides are engaged in a process to "deter illegal migration", they said.
"On October 22, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), conducted a large-frame charter removal flight to the Republic of India of Indian nationals who did not establish legal basis to remain in the United States," the DHS said in a statement on Friday.
This week's flight demonstrates the Department's continued commitment to pursuing "sustained cooperation" with the Indian government and other international partners to reduce and deter irregular migration and jointly work to counter human smuggling, it added.
Sources said the move was a result of the India-US cooperation on migration and mobility.
This is being done to "create more avenues" for legal migration from India to the US.
The latest deportation of Indian nationals by a chartered flight is the result of this cooperation, the sources added.
Such deportations "have been happening" for several years, they said.
In the fiscal year 2024, the DHS removed or returned over 1,60,000 individuals and operated more than 495 international repatriation flights to more than 145 countries, including India, the DHS statement said.