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ISLAMABAD: The United States embassy in India on Tuesday warned Indians of &ldquo;significant criminal penalties&rdquo; for illegally immigrating to the US, according to a statement posted on its official X account. &ldquo;If you break U.S. law, you will be punished with significant criminal penalties,&rdquo; the statement said. The warning comes as part of the current US administration&rsquo;s commitment to ending illegal immigration and protecting national borders. According to estimates by the Pew Research Center and the Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS), around 700,000 Indian people were residing illegally in the US as of 2022, making them the third-largest group after Mexico and El Salvador. However, official data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) suggests that around 220,000 unauthorized Indians are based in the US. Whereas, this year in February, a US military aircraft carrying 104 deported Indians landed in Amritsar. US President Donald Trump has made the mass deportation of undocumented foreign nationals a key policy, with the North American&nbsp;country reportedly identifying about 18,000 Indian nationals it believes entered the country illegally, according to the BBC. Earlier this year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India would take back its nationals who were in the US illegally and would also crack down on the &ldquo;human trafficking ecosystem.&rdquo; &ldquo;These are children of very ordinary families, and they are lured by big dreams and promises,&rdquo; he said during his visit to Washington. In recent times, relations between Washington and New Delhi have become strained. This is attributed to President Trump&rsquo;s sweeping 50% tariffs on Indian goods, according to Chatham House in August, and India&rsquo;s discomfort over US engagement with Pakistan following the May conflict between the two South Asian rivals. Regarding the recent statement, neither the US State Department nor US missions in Pakistan or other countries, including Afghanistan, Syria, Myanmar, or China, have issued similar warnings, Pakistani local media reported.&nbsp;

Asia

The US Embassy in India warned Indians of criminal penalties for illegal immigration, citing border enforcement priorities, amid strained US-India relations this year.

US warns Indian nationals of ‘criminal penalties’ for illegal immigration

KUALA LAMPUR: Malaysian authorities have recovered at least seven bodies after a boat carrying migrants capsized near the Thai border, a maritime agency official said on Sunday. Officials believe the boat was carrying undocumented migrants who departed from Myanmar, part of a group of at least 300 people that had split between several vessels. The boat that capsized near Thailand&#39;s Tarutao Island and just north of Malaysia&#39;s island resort of Langkawi was carrying some 90 people, Kedah state police chief Adzli Abu Shah told Malaysian media. Romli Mustafa, director of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency in the northern states of Kedah and Perlis, said in a statement that three survivors were found on Sunday in the waters around Langkawi as well as six bodies, taking the overall death toll to seven. At least 13 people have been rescued alive. Romli said the bodies recovered Sunday were of a girl and five women, without disclosing their nationality or ethnicity. A body found on Saturday is believed to be of a woman from Myanmar&#39;s persecuted Rohingya minority, Adzli told the Bernama national news agency. The search and rescue effort ended for the day and will resume on Monday, Romli added, saying it was possible more survivors or victims could be found at sea. The boat likely went down three days ago, according to the state police chief. Two other vessels, believed to be carrying some of the group of 300 migrants who had departed from Myanmar, have also been reported missing, Adzli was quoted as saying by the Free Malaysia Today news website. He said preliminary investigations showed that the group boarded a large vessel that carried them into waters close to Malaysia. &quot;As they neared the border they were instructed to transfer onto three smaller boats, each carrying around 100 people,&quot; he told Bernama. &quot;We have requested the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and the Marine Police to launch search and rescue operations and to look for the other missing boats,&quot; Adzli said, quoted by the New Straits Times. The Malaysian police force did not respond to AFP&#39;s requests for comment. Relatively affluent Malaysia is home to millions of migrants from poorer parts of Asia, many of them undocumented, working in industries including construction and agriculture. But the crossings, facilitated by human trafficking syndicates, are often hazardous, leading to boats capsizing. &quot;Cross-border syndicates are now increasingly active in exploiting migrants by making them victims of human trafficking using high-risk sea routes,&quot; Romli said. Syndicates charge up to $3,500 per person for passage into the country, Malaysian media said. In one of the worst months, in December 2021, more than 20 migrants drowned in several incidents off the Malaysian coast.

At least seven migrants, mostly women and a child, died after a boat from Myanmar capsized near Malaysia’s Langkawi Island. Authorities rescued survivors and continue searching for missing vessels linked to suspected human trafficking syndicates.

Articles tagged with "Illegal Immigration"

US warns Indian nationals of ‘criminal penalties’ for illegal immigration

Migrant shipwreck off Malaysia kills at least seven