Trump Immigration Crackdown: 18,000 Indians Face Risk Of Deportation

New Delhi: One of Donald Trump’s main focus in his Presidential campaign was a steadfast vow to ruthlessly act against immigrants.

With just over a month left for the President-elect to step into the White House for a second time, stricter immigration policies are already taking shape.

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has reportedly drawn up a list of 1.45 million people who are slated for deportation. That list includes 18,000 undocumented Indians.

Around 90,000 Indians have been apprehended trying to cross into the United States illegally over the last 3 years. According to The Times Of India, most of these individuals are from Punjab, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.

The process of legalising their status faces multiple bureaucratic challenges, with waiting periods of two or three years.

India, however, is way down the list at 13th vis-à-vis most number of undocumented immigrants. Two countries bordering the USA hold the top two positions – Honduras with 261,000 undocumented individuals and Guatemala with 253,000.

China leads the Asian countries with 37,908 undocumented individuals in the USA.

“Conducting interviews, issuing travel documents in a timely manner, and accepting the physical return of their nationals by scheduled commercial or charter flights consistent with ICE and/or foreign government removal guidelines,” cites the ICE document.

Hundreds and thousands have been living in tension and fear ever since Trump pledged to carry out the largest deportation process in American history.