A Hindu temple built with funding from villagers living abroad standing in the village of Nardipur, in eastern India. — ©2025 The New York Times Company
THE family arrived at the ornately carved temple in western India with a special sweet made from dried milk and clarified butter.
It was a desperate offering for their son’s safety – he had just crossed into the United States, days before President Donald Trump assumed office, vowing a fierce crackdown on illegal immigration.
In Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state, signs of migration are everywhere. Plaques on buildings trumpet donations from Indians in America. Locked and empty houses belong to those now living in the US – many legally, many not.
Trump’s threats of mass deportations have raised loud alarms in Mexico and Central America, but the fear and uncertainty are rippling through India as well.
India is one of the top sources of illegal immigration to the US, according to the Pew Research Centre.
In 2022, the centre estimated that over 700,000 Indians were living in the US without legal status, making them the third-largest group after Mexicans and Salvadorans.
Some Indians arrive legally and overstay their visas. Others cross borders without authorisation.
In 2023 alone, around 90,000 Indians were apprehended attempting to enter the US illegally, according to American government data.
The Indian government, which has expanded defence, technology and trade ties with the US, claims confidence in weathering the challenges posed by Trump’s “America First” policies.
Modi, who refers to Trump as “my dear friend”, has sought to maintain strong bilateral relations. Nonetheless, India appears keen to remain in Trump’s good graces by cooperating with his administration’s clampdown on illegal migration.
Recent reports suggest that the Indian government has worked with US authorities to repatriate 18,000 Indian nationals under final removal orders.
Analysts believe this cooperation is aimed at safeguarding legal immigration pathways, such as skilled-worker visas, and avoiding punitive tariffs that Trump has threatened.
Randhir Jaiswal, spokesman for India’s Foreign Ministry, said, “Our position is that we are against illegal migration. We have been engaging with US authorities on curbing illegal immigration, with the view of creating more avenues for legal migration from India to the US.”
These legal routes – especially H-1B visas for skilled workers and student visas – remain contentious.
While tech leaders such as Elon Musk argue that H-1B visas are essential for recruiting top talent, nationalist voices contend that these jobs should go to American citizens.
The Trump administration is reportedly working with India to address concerns related to irregular migration.
In a sign of the growing strategic relationship, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently held his first bilateral meeting with Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar.
The migration issue is politically sensitive in India.
Modi, widely seen as the country’s most powerful leader in decades, promotes himself as the architect of economic growth that will propel India to developed-nation status.
Yet Gujarat, often showcased as an economic success story, remains a significant source of illegal migration.
In Mehsana district, nearly every family has a member in the US – some legal, others not. The area frequently makes headlines for tragic stories of migrants perishing while attempting dangerous crossings into the US.
Farmers working in the fields in the district of Mehsana, in eastern India. — ©2025 The New York Times Company
Migration to America has traditionally symbolised status among Gujaratis.
Families without US connections often struggle to arrange marriages for their children, according to Jagdish, a 55-year-old college worker in Jasalpur village. His son and daughter-in-law now live in the US without legal status.
Jagdish, who requested anonymity for his family’s safety, shared the harrowing journey.
“My son spent five months in Mexico waiting to cross the border. When he entered the US, he was jailed for three months before being released.”
His son now works at a cafe, and his wife recently joined him.
The cost of getting them to the US exceeded US$70,000, Jagdish said.
“It was a mix of hard-earned money, life savings and loans. I don’t buy new clothes; I’ve cut down on fruits and milk. I need to repay the loans.”
Wall plaques at a high school listing financial contributions from villagers living abroad, in the village of Jasalpur, in eastern India. — ©2025 The New York Times Company
Outside the village temple, Rajanikant Patel and his wife Nila Ben, who have lived in the US for over two decades and run a Subway franchise, were on their annual visit.
Patel tried to reassure locals about the new administration.
“Trump will do what he has to do, but he needs people to work there. We are labourers. It’s such a huge country – who will manage it?”
Migration from India to the US surged in the 1960s, when India was among the world’s poorest nations and US immigration policy was liberalising.
Despite India’s rise as the world’s fifth-largest economy, stark inequalities persist, pushing many to seek opportunities abroad.
“The quality of life here and there cannot be compared,” Nila remarked.
Immigration consultants confirm a recent decline in inquiries as potential migrants hear about stricter entry requirements – a trend that began during the Biden administration and has intensified under Trump.
Varun Sharma, who heads an immigration consultancy, said about half of his clients explore illegal routes.
“I politely turn them down,” he noted.
Many undocumented immigrants in the US now come from India’s emerging middle class. Some arrive on student visas and stay beyond their expiration dates. Others travel to third countries on tourist visas and gradually make their way to the US by land or sea.
Vishnu Bhai Patel, a lemon trader, expressed hope for leniency.
“Half of my family is here, half there,” he said.
His daughter is studying engineering in the US, and he dreams of her staying there permanently.
“My dream is for her to never come back,” he admitted. — ©2025 The New York Times Company
