Deportation of Indians from USA sparks serious conversation among local residents

By Sagardeep Dhammu

BELLEVILLE — In the United States last week, 104 Indian nationals were deported back to India for illegally being in the USA. A second flight carrying 205 deportees is set to land in Punjab, India this coming Saturday.

These deportations are part of a broader effort to address illegal immigration since Donald Trump came to power last month. The flights returning Indian nationals to India are a new development in addressing an issue Trump has focused on since returning to power. 

As of November 2024, there were approximately 20,407 undocumented Indian nationals in the U.S. facing final removal orders or awaiting deportation.

The Indian government has expressed its readiness to accept deported citizens, provided their identities are verified. External Affairs Minister of India, S. Jaishankar, stated that India is open to the lawful return of its citizens found in the U.S. illegally, after proper verification.

Vansh Malhotra

The American actions have sparked a conversation among Indians in the Quinte region.

Vansh Malhotra is a temporary resident living in Belleville.

“I think that illegal immigration is a major problem. I was friends with someone who migrated to the US illegally from Canada. He’s still living there working a cash job because he can’t legally work there. I haven’t been in touch with him for a while but I think there is good chance he is on the (deportation) list.”

“U.S. is a major country, and I think they have every right to protect their borders. If someone is there illegally, they should face deportation. I believe it’s a matter of national security and also unfair to people who follow rules.”

Taranjeet Singh

Taranjeet Singh is an international student at Loyalist College.

“I think the deportation was like a statement by Trump. He was always so vocal about illegal immigration,’ he said.

“Biden was very lenient in this, but Trump made it obvious that he was going to make some changes. It was a surprise that they were so quick to do that since Trump only became the president like 2 weeks ago.”

Manya Thakur

“I can’t help but feel sad for these people. Many have families in the U.S. and have built lives there. It is a reminder of how easily our status can be removed like I’m worried that same policies might affect us in Canada too.”

Manya Thakur is a Belleville resident hoping to get her tourist visa for USA.

“I love to travel and going to US to visit is one of my dreams. All this illegal immigration also creates problems for those of us who actually want to visit US as actual tourists and have fun.”

“To be honest most illegal immigrants in US are probably from Canada you know,” she said.

“It is very common for people who don’t have PR to move there. That is why most of them get their US tourist visa as soon as they can, so that when they go there to visit, they just disappear. It is a major problem I think.”