The centrepiece of Trump’s reelection bid was a promise to deport record numbers of undocumented immigrants. If what he calls the “largest domestic deportation operation in American history” becomes reality, it would impact an estimated 11 million people who are in the US without authorisation.
According to Pew Research Center, there were about 725,000 undocumented Indians in the US in 2021, making them the third-largest such group in the country. During FY2024, US Customs and Border Protection revealed that an average of 10 Indian nationals were arrested every hour while attempting to illegally cross US borders. Many of them are Gujaratis. Jimmy Patel (name changed on request) from Vijapur, in Mehsana, who is preparing to sneak into the US, said during his previous term, the “Trump Wall” had been unable to keep out illegal immigrants. “Trump had built the wall, but it was porous, with ways to get through. But under Biden, legal entry became nearly impossible due to complicated asylum procedures. Trump now may make the illegal path tougher, but if India and America work closely, the legal route could improve,” Patel said.
“Trump administration might make it harder to cross into the US through Mexico or Canada, but we are hopeful Indians might not face the same scrutiny. Trump may not see us as a burden as many Indian immigrants come ready to work and earn our keep, unlike migrants from other countries who must be provided food and lodging till the legalities are worked out,” said Parikshit Patel, a visa consultant from Kalol.
Some in Gujarat also cling to the belief that Trump’s strong rapport with PM Narendra Modi will somehow help them avoid scrutiny. According to media reports, Trump and his allies, including Stephen Miller, the architect of Trump’s immigration agenda, have sketched out an expansive vision that dovetails with the plans laid out in Project 2025, a 900-plus-page presidential transition blueprint led by the rightwing Heritage Foundation.
The strategy, as Trump has described it, may involve the extraordinary use of US troops for immigration enforcement and border security and the application of 18th-century wartime powers. Immigration advocates have warned that deportation plans could be costly, divisive, and inhumane.
