The United States Embassy in India on Tuesday warned Indian nationals of “significant criminal penalties” for illegally migrating to the US and breaking its laws.
Relations between Washington and New Delhi have become strained over the course of the year, due to US President Donald Trump’s sweeping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods and India’s discomfort over US engagement with Pakistan after the May conflict between the two South Asian rivals.
In a post on X, the US Embassy posted a message reading, “If you break US law, you will be punished with significant criminal penalties. The Trump Administration is committed to ending illegal immigration to the United States and protecting our nation’s borders and our citizens.”
Neither the US State Department nor US missions in Pakistan or other nations, including Afghanistan, Syria, Myanmar or China, have issued similar warnings.
Since taking office in January this year, Trump has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration in the US, rolling out policies and enacting mass deportations through 2025.
In February, a US military aircraft carried 104 deported Indians and landed in Amritsar. Although illegal Indian immigrants have been deported home by previous US administrations, it was the first time Washington used a military aircraft for the purpose.
In addition to deportations, Washington has made it harder for immigrants to obtain visas. In September, Trump ordered a $100,000 fee for H-1B skilled worker visas.
H-1B visas allow companies to sponsor foreign workers with specialised skills — such as scientists, engineers, and computer programmers — to work in the United States, initially for three years, but extendable to six years.
India’s foreign ministry said that the Trump administration’s move to increase H1-B visa fees was likely to have humanitarian consequences, warning of potential disruptions for families affected by the policy.
Similarly, India’s leading trade body Nasscom said the timeline for implementing the new $100,000 fee for H-1B visas for high-tech workers in the United States was a “concern”.
Since his inauguration on January 20, Trump’s administration has revoked around 80,000 non-immigrant visas for offences ranging from driving under the influence to assault and theft.
Around 16,000 of the visa revocations were tied to cases of driving under the influence, while about 12,000 were for assault and another 8,000 for theft.
“These three crimes accounted for almost half of revocations this year,” said a senior State Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
In August, a State Department spokesperson said Washington had revoked more than 6,000 student visas for overstays and breaking the law, including a small number for “support for terrorism”.
