ISLAMABAD: The United States embassy in India on Tuesday warned Indians of “significant criminal penalties” for illegally immigrating to the US, according to a statement posted on its official X account.

“If you break U.S. law, you will be punished with significant criminal penalties,” the statement said.

The warning comes as part of the current US administration’s commitment to ending illegal immigration and protecting national borders.

According to estimates by the Pew Research Center and the Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS), around 700,000 Indian people were residing illegally in the US as of 2022, making them the third-largest group after Mexico and El Salvador.

However, official data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) suggests that around 220,000 unauthorized Indians are based in the US.

Whereas, this year in February, a US military aircraft carrying 104 deported Indians landed in Amritsar.

US President Donald Trump has made the mass deportation of undocumented foreign nationals a key policy, with the North American country reportedly identifying about 18,000 Indian nationals it believes entered the country illegally, according to the BBC.

Earlier this year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India would take back its nationals who were in the US illegally and would also crack down on the “human trafficking ecosystem.”

“These are children of very ordinary families, and they are lured by big dreams and promises,” he said during his visit to Washington.

In recent times, relations between Washington and New Delhi have become strained. This is attributed to President Trump’s sweeping 50% tariffs on Indian goods, according to Chatham House in August, and India’s discomfort over US engagement with Pakistan following the May conflict between the two South Asian rivals.

Regarding the recent statement, neither the US State Department nor US missions in Pakistan or other countries, including Afghanistan, Syria, Myanmar, or China, have issued similar warnings, Pakistani local media reported.

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US warns Indian nationals of ‘criminal penalties’ for illegal immigration