India Ready To Take Back Its Citizens Living Illegally In US: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday backed US President Donald Trump's stance on cracking down on illegal immigration, stating that people residing illegally in other countries have no legal right to be there.

During a joint press conference with Trump after their bilateral meeting, PM Modi emphasized that India is prepared to repatriate its citizens living illegally in the US.

"Those who stay in other countries illegally do not have any legal right to be there. As far as India and the US are concerned, we have always said that those who are verified and are truly the citizens of India - if they live in the US illegally, India is ready to take them back," PM Modi said.

He also highlighted the need to address the broader issue of human trafficking, which often misleads and brings families to the US illegally.

"Together, it should be the effort of the US and India to destroy such an ecosystem from its roots so that human trafficking ends...Our bigger fight is against that entire ecosystem and we are confident that President Trump will fully cooperate with India in finishing this ecosystem," he added.

Last week, the US deported 104 illegal Indian immigrants after being handcuffed and legs chained. The Modi government came under attack from the opposition because of the manner in which the US sent them back to the country.

According to a report by the Pew Research Center cited by AP, more than 725,000 immigrants from India are living in the United States without authorization. However, India does not have the data on the illegal immigrants residing in the US.

In a written response in the Rajya Sabha on February 13, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh stated, "The government of India does not have data on the number of undocumented Indian immigrants residing in the United States. The reason is that these immigrants have legally exited India but have either overstayed their US visa validity, or have entered the US illegally or without valid documents."