New Delhi: In 2025, as of November 21, as many as 3,155 Indian nationals have been deported from the US, the federal government knowledgeable Parliament on Friday. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, in a written response to a question, additionally mentioned all deportations are topic to an “unambiguous verification” of their Indian nationality.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was requested whether or not it’s a proven fact that a number of Indians who entered by “donkey route”, had been lately deported from the US, and if that’s the case, the variety of folks shunted out by the US authorities to India over the past three years.
The phrase “donkey route” refers back to the route used for unlawful immigration, largely in context of North America.
“The US authorities normally deports people who’re discovered to have (i) illegally entered the US, (ii) have overstayed their visa validity, (iii) have been discovered residing within the US with none documentation, or (iv) have felony conviction in opposition to them. The Government of India works in shut coordination with the US authorities on these deportation operations,” Singh mentioned.
In his response, he additionally shared the variety of Indian nationals deported from the US to India within the final three years.
In 2025, as of November 21, the variety of Indian nationals deported from US stood at 3,155, as per the information shared in a tabulated type.
For 2024, the corresponding determine stood at 1,368 and in 2023, the quantity stood at 617.
“Data referring to registration of circumstances of trafficking to different international locations, together with by ‘donkey route’, is just not maintained by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Most of the overseas international locations don’t share particulars of Indian deportees,” the MoS mentioned in response to a separate question.
The MEA, in one other question, was requested the variety of Indian staff imprisoned and languishing in jails in Kuwait and different international locations.
“There are a complete of 316 Indian prisoners in jails in Kuwait (as on 31.10.2025) as per the information shared by Kuwaiti authorities,” Singh mentioned.
The ministry, in a separate question, was additionally requested state-wise particulars on Haj pilgrims from India, who left for pilgrimage, beneath the Haj Committee of India, in the previous couple of years.
Singh shared a year-wise tabulated knowledge, in response to which 1,39,964 Haj pilgrims from completely different components of India, had left for pilgrimage in 2024; and 1,39,429 in 2023; and 56,634 in 2022.
In a separate question, the MEA was requested the variety of new diplomatic missions and consulates proposed to be opened throughout monetary 12 months 2025�26 and their geographic distribution.
“In FY 2025, one new Mission has been opened in Quito (Ecuador), and 4 new Consulates have been opened in Boston (USA), Los Angeles (USA), Kazan (Russia) and Yekaterinburg (Russia),” Singh mentioned.
“The Ministry of External Affairs on occasion formulates proposals for opening of resident Missions in international locations the place there aren’t any Indian Missions. It additionally establishes new consulates to enhance protection and render higher providers,” he added.
The broad overseas coverage imaginative and prescient of the federal government is to maximise India’s presence overseas in essentially the most optimum method.
“The goal of our overseas coverage can be to construct a conducive atmosphere for India’s progress and improvement by partnerships with pleasant international locations,” he mentioned.
Countries are recognized for opening of resident Indian Missions on the premise of “potential for deepening strategic cooperation; sturdy potential for bilateral commerce and funding; sturdy diaspora presence; to bolster political outreach in multilateral fora; and for signalling India’s dedication to stepping up of diplomatic engagement with essential international locations/areas and so on,” he mentioned.
“The opening of Missions and Consulates overseas is set by India’s total strategic curiosity inside the obtainable monetary and human assets,” the MoS mentioned.
