The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said that India is against unlawful immigration, particularly because it is linked to coordinated crime.
“For Indian nationals, whether in the United States or somewhere else, if they are living in a country without proper documentation, we will bring them back, on condition that necessary documents to confirm their nationality are shared with us,” said Randhir Jaiswal, official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
During an update, when questioned about the number of people being taken back from the United States, Jaiswal said, “Any discussion about numbers is early.”
He was also asked about the ongoing deliberations regarding the return of unlawful immigrants from the US and the plans to send them back and whether this would affect India’s financial and industrial relations.
“Illegal migration and trade are two distinct matters. Our approach, policy, and position on illegal migration are very clear. We are against undocumented migration, and the cause for this is that it is related to organised crime,” said Jaiswal.
Speaking about the scheduled visit of foreign secretary Vikram Misri to China, Jaiswal said, “This visit is going to take place on January 26 and 27. The foreign secretary will be meeting his counterpart, the vice minister in China, where all matters of bilateral interest will be discussed.
“This meeting flows from the understanding that the leaders reached in Kazan, and subsequent to that, we’ve had meetings at the special representatives level, and we’ve had foreign minister-level meetings as well. We will get the details about what was discussed once the meeting happens. But all matters of mutual interest will be discussed,” Jaiswal said.
