US thanks India for help on illegal immigration, talks of achieving balanced bilateral trade relationship

United States Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Friday, March 28, spoke with Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, thanking New Delhi for its assistance in addressing illegal immigration to the United States. Christopher Landau also asked the Indian government for cooperation on the illegal immigration issue.

“Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau spoke today with Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. They discussed ongoing efforts to reduce barriers to achieve a fair and balanced bilateral trade relationship, strengthen collaboration in defense and technology, and boost security and prosperity throughout the Indo-Pacific region,” the statement from US Department of State read.

It said, “The Deputy Secretary also thanked the Foreign Secretary for India’s assistance addressing illegal immigration to the United States and asked the Government of India for continued cooperation on this issue.”

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On Thursday, the Central government said it formally raised concerns with the United States over allegations of mistreatment of Indian nationals deported from the US in February 2025, particularly the reports on ‘religious sensitivities and food preferences’, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, March 27.

In a statement, Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh informed that it strongly objected to the reports that Sikh deportees were asked to remove their turbans while women and children were put in shackles while being deported to India.

In its clarification, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stated no deportee from India was asked to remove religious head coverings and no woman or child detainee were restrained.

“The Ministry has strongly registered its concerns with the US authorities on the treatment meted out to deportees on the flight that landed on February 5th, particularly with respect to the use of shackles, especially on women. The US side has confirmed that no women or children were restrained on the deportation flights that landed in India on February 15th and 16th respectively.”