Over 3000 Sri Lankans among the over 1.4 mn illegal immigrants: US begins deportation of illegal Sri Lankan immigrants

By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya   

The United States has started deporting migrants who entered the country illegally, with more than 3,000 Sri Lankans among the over 1.4 million individuals scheduled for removal under the Trump administration’s new policy.   

In the lead-up to the elections, President Donald Trump had pledged to conduct the largest deportation operation in US history. His administration has continued to push for the removal of illegal immigrants, citing concerns over national security, economic impact, and public safety. Trump has emphasised the importance of enforcing immigration laws and reducing the burden illegal immigrants place on US resources.   

To further his agenda, Trump has increasingly turned to the military, including sending troops to the US-Mexico border, utilizing military aircraft for deportations, and even opening military bases to house detained migrants.   
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has confirmed that 3,065 Sri Lankans are among those targeted for deportation. The deportation list includes individuals from various countries who are residing illegally in the United States.   

Meanwhile, an official of the Ofreing Ministry said that Sri Lanka is awaiting an official communication from the United States (US) regarding the reported plans to deport over 1.4 million illegal migrants including Sri Lankans.   
As part of this effort, the Trump administration has begun transporting undocumented immigrants to a military detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.   

On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the initiation of deportations via US military aircraft. The first deportation flight, a C-17 aircraft carrying 205 Indian nationals, departed from San Antonio, Texas. All passengers on board were verified by the Indian government.  

The US government has requested foreign governments to cooperate by confirming the citizenship of noncitizens suspected to be their nationals. This includes issuing travel documents and accepting the return of their nationals on scheduled flights.   

Lack of cooperation from countries in accepting the return of their nationals may lead to ICE classifying those countries as uncooperative or at-risk of non-compliance, it said.   

Currently, ICE considers 15 countries to be uncooperative: Bhutan, Burma, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Laos, Pakistan, People’s Republic of China, Russia, Somalia, and Venezuela.   

ICE considers 11 countries to be at risk of non-compliance: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Gabon, Gambia, Iraq, Jamaica, Nicaragua, South Sudan, St. Lucia, and Vietnam.