New Delhi: As many as 3,155 Indian nationals have been deported from the United States to India in 2025 up to November 21, the government informed Parliament on Friday, adding that all such deportations take place only after an unambiguous verification of their Indian nationality. The data, shared by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written reply, showed that 1,368 Indians were deported from the US in 2024 and 617 in 2023.
Responding to a question on Indians who entered the US through the so-called “donkey route” — a term commonly used for irregular migration pathways to North America — Singh said the US authorities typically deport those who entered illegally, overstayed their visas, lack valid documentation, or have criminal convictions. He said India works in close coordination with US authorities on such deportation operations, but the External Affairs Ministry does not maintain specific data on trafficking cases, including those involving the “donkey route”, and most foreign governments do not share detailed information on Indian deportees.
In reply to another query, Singh said 316 Indian nationals were lodged in prisons in Kuwait as of October 31, 2025, according to figures shared by Kuwaiti authorities. He also provided figures on Haj pilgrims, noting that 1,39,964 pilgrims travelled from India under the Haj Committee of India in 2024, 1,39,429 in 2023 and 56,634 in 2022.
On the expansion of India’s diplomatic footprint, Singh said one new embassy has been opened in Quito, Ecuador, in the current financial year, along with four new consulates in Boston and Los Angeles in the United States, and in Kazan and Yekaterinburg in Russia. He said the External Affairs Ministry periodically identifies countries and cities for new missions and consulates based on factors such as potential for deeper strategic cooperation, trade and investment opportunities, the size of the Indian diaspora, multilateral engagement priorities and broader diplomatic outreach objectives.
The minister underlined that the government’s broader foreign policy vision is to maximise India’s presence abroad in an optimal manner and to create a conducive external environment for the country’s growth and development. Decisions on opening new missions and consulates, he added, are taken in line with India’s strategic interests and within available financial and human resources.
(Inputs from PTI)