The recent wave of deportations of Indian nationals from the United States should serve as a sobering moment for both aspiring migrants and policymakers in India. Over a thousand individuals have been returned to Indian soil in just a few months ~ some under circumstances that border on humiliation, including shackling during transportation. The situation underscores not just the hardening stance of US immigration enforcement, but also a deeper issue: India’s failure to confront the socio-economic drivers that push its citizens into undocumented migration.

At the heart of this lies a mix of desperation and aspiration. Thousands of Indians, often from economically vulnerable regions, are lured by the idea of a better life in the West ~ better jobs, better pay, better futures. Many undertake arduous journeys via Latin America, entrusting their lives to smuggling networks and ending up entangled in the harsh machinery of US immigration control. When caught, they are not only deported but branded as violators of law,........

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