President Donald Trump has signed the Secure America Act into law, marking a significant victory for the Trump administration's immigration enforcement agenda. The legislation provides long-term funding through 2029 for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol, ensuring sustained financial support for mass deportation operations. The House of Representatives had narrowly approved the nearly $70 billion reconciliation package by a vote of 214-212, ending weeks of delays and negotiations that had kept the bill stalled in the Senate. As per NDTV Profit, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, emphasized that the law 'fully funds Border Patrol and ICE until the end of Trump's presidency to facilitate extensive enforcement activities that Democrats were obstructing'. The measure allots roughly $26 billion for Customs and Border Protection and $38 billion for ICE, with an extra $5 billion set aside for unforeseen costs. The agencies will be funded through the next three years, with the new law front-loading routine annual funding to ensure a virtually uninterrupted flow of money as the Trump administration seeks to deport some 1 million people per year.
A US federal court has struck down Donald Trump's immigration policies that had effectively frozen processing of green cards, work permits, asylum applications and citizenship cases for nationals of 39 countries, marking a significant legal setback for one of the administration's most restrictive immigration measures. Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of the US District Court for the District of Rhode Island ordered US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to resume processing hundreds of thousands of immigration applications that had been placed on hold for months. The ruling in Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island v. USCIS does not directly affect Indian nationals, as India was not included among the 39 countries covered by the policy, but immigration lawyers and policy experts say the ruling could have wider implications because it challenges the legality of nationality-based restrictions within the legal immigration system.
The United States has deported 1,076 Indian nationals so far in 2026 as part of President Donald Trump's intensified immigration enforcement measures, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. As per ANI, MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal shared these figures during a media briefing, noting that 'so far this year, 1,076 Indian citizens have been deported from the US, whereas last year the figure stood at 3,567'. While the data shows a sharp drop in annual deportations compared to 2025, it represents a massive number of individuals affected by Trump's immigration policies. Those deported include people with undocumented status and visa violations, with the latest figures showing continued enforcement activity under the administration's mass deportation agenda.
Recent enforcement actions have targeted specific groups, with US Border Patrol arresting 52 people in Arizona during 'Operation Checkmate' during the week of May 11-15. As per NDTV Profit, among 36 illegal semi-truck drivers caught, 30 were Indian nationals who held CDLs from several states or none at all. Most had expired work permits issued under Joe Biden, with all expected to be deported under federal law. The administration continues its enforcement activities, with about 30 individuals from India found residing illegally in the United States while employed as commercial truck drivers being apprehended during federal operations this week. Trump border czar Tom Homan told CBS News that the administration will 'continue to arrest people, detain people and keep deporting people', hinting at summer sweeps of enforcement actions coming next to New York City.
India and the US maintain regular engagement on migration matters, with discussions focusing on how to 'crack down on and curb illegal migration, while simultaneously ensuring that this does not adversely affect legal migration', according to MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. The Government of India continues to coordinate closely with the United States on deportation of individuals who entered the US illegally, overstayed their visas or reside without documentation. Lists of individuals identified for deportation by US authorities are thoroughly scrutinized and verified by relevant Indian agencies, with only those confirmed as Indian nationals accepted for deportation to India. India has reiterated that it is the obligation of all nations to repatriate their nationals found to be residing illegally abroad, subject to verification of nationality.
