New Delhi [India], July 30 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, said the United States deported 414 Indian nationals between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2026, while more than 170 Indians were deported from European countries during the same period.
According to data shared by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in response to a question on the deportation of Indian nationals from the United States, Mexico, and European countries, the United States recorded the highest number of deportations among individual countries, with 414 Indian nationals deported during the first quarter of 2026.
Among European countries, 174 Indian nationals were deported during the same period.
The United Kingdom recorded the highest number of deportations in Europe, with 57 Indian nationals sent back, followed by Cyprus with 53.
Other European countries that reported deportations between January and March 2026 included Greece (10), Türkiye (8), France (6), Italy (5), Germany (4), Sweden (4), the Netherlands (4), Belgium (3), Portugal (3), Romania (3), Serbia (3), Latvia (3), Denmark (2), Austria (1), and Poland (1).
In total, 588 Indian nationals were deported from the United States and European countries during the January-March 2026 period.
The ministry’s data also showed that the number of Indian nationals deported from the United States has risen in recent years.
The United States deported 617 Indians in 2023, 1,368 in 2024, and 2,025 in 2025, before recording 414 deportations during the first quarter of 2026.
Among European countries, Cyprus and the United Kingdom recorded the highest number of deportations over the past three years.
Cyprus deported 173 Indian nationals in 2023, 183 in 2024, and 164 in 2025, while the United Kingdom deported 98 Indians in 2023, 110 in 2024, and 156 in 2025, according to MEA data.
The data showed that deportations from Cyprus remained consistently high over the three-year period, with a total of 520 Indian nationals deported between 2023 and 2025. The United Kingdom accounted for 364 deportations during the same period.
Responding to the question, Jaishankar also informed the House about measures taken against illegal agents and fraudulent recruitment networks accused of luring Indian nationals with fake overseas job offers.
“As and when complaints against illegal agents/dubious firms luring Indian nationals in false recruitment offers through various channels are received, such matters are referred to the State police for investigation and prosecution under the relevant legal provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and other legislation in place,” Jaishankar said.
The minister noted that the Ministry does not maintain the status of local prosecutions in such cases. However, he said that “till October 2025, a total of 3,505 unregistered agents in the country have been notified on the eMigrate portal.”
Jaishankar said the ministry continues to issue advisories through the eMigrate portal, social media platforms, and other outreach channels regarding the risks posed by fake job rackets and illegal migration routes.
The ministry also conducts awareness programs to educate stakeholders about emigration regulations, the Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana (PBBY), Pre-Departure Orientation Training (PDOT), eMigrate services, and advisories issued by Indian missions abroad.
It advised job seekers to “verify all antecedents of Recruiting Agents before accepting any kind of employment offer and not be enticed and entrapped in the fraudulent job offers.”
On the rehabilitation of deported migrants, Jaishankar said, “Reintegration of returned Indian migrants rests with the State governments from where the emigrants belong.”
Jaishankar’s reply came in response to a question from Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala regarding the deportation of Indian nationals.
In a separate written reply on legal assistance for Indian nationals detained abroad, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh informed the Rajya Sabha that Indian Missions and Posts provide financial assistance for legal aid to eligible Indian nationals in distress through the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF).
“Families of Indian nationals are advised to arrange for lawyers and bear the expenditure on legal proceedings, including those involving missing or detained Indians abroad,” Singh said in his reply.
However, the ministry said Indian Missions and Posts provide support to those who cannot afford legal assistance.
“Indian Missions/Posts provide financial aid for legal assistance on a means-tested basis to deserving Indian nationals in distress abroad under the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF),” the reply stated.
The assistance is available to several categories of Indians facing difficulties overseas, including those involved in minor crimes, individuals detained in foreign jails, students, migrant workers, and Indian women in distress, the ministry said.
The MEA also informed the House that several Indian Missions and Posts in countries with large Indian communities maintain panels of lawyers to provide legal assistance to eligible individuals.
“Several Indian Missions/Posts with a sizeable population of Indian nationals maintain a panel of lawyers to provide legal assistance to deserving Indian nationals in distress on a means-tested basis,” the ministry said. (ANI)
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