Why in News?

Recently, US government has deported many Indians as they were migrated illegally.

What are Illegal migration and  Migration smuggling?

• Migration - Migration is the movement of people away from their usual place of residence to a new place of residence, either across an international border or within a State.

Total number of international migrants at mid-year 2024 was 304 million.

The largest migration flows tend to be from developing countries to larger economies, such as the United States, Germany, Saudi Arabia or France.

• Types of migration - Migration can be categorized as regular or irregular.
• Regular migration – It  is the movement of people across borders in line with the relevant countries’ rules and procedures.
• Irregular migration - It is the movement of people that happens outside these legal frameworks.
• This can include, for instance, entering or staying in a country without proper documentation.
• Migrant smuggling – It is when an individual or a group helps migrants enter a foreign country irregularly in exchange for money or another material benefit.

What are the reasons for irregular migration?

• Economic factors – Employment, livelihood and higher income.
• Political Instability - Conflict, persecution, violence

According to UNHCR, more than 117 million people were forcibly displaced globally at the end of 2023, including refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced people.

• Lack of legal migration options - Restrictive immigration policies and the lack of legal avenues for migration compel people to migrate irregularly.
• No eligibility conditions - It requires no technical skill, no educational or professional qualifications, no financial investment.
• Flourishing rackets - The tradesmen human smuggling thrive on gullible youth who fantasise about making it big with dollar-fuelled dreams.

What are the problems faced by irregular migrants?

• Exploitation - Irregular migrants and refugees, especially those who are smuggled, often find themselves in fragile situations.
• Lack of security - They may not have travel documents, may not speak the local language and may be unsure of their rights in the new country .
• Life risk - Smuggled migrants suffer various forms of violence, abuse and exploitation , ranging from beatings, extortion and rape to disease, detention and even death.
• Journey risk – They travel being suffocated in containers, perish in scorching deserts, drown at sea or be herded into slave camps to work as forced labour.
• Economic hardships - Irregular migrants often work in low-paying, informal jobs with little job security and poor working conditions.

What is the situation in India?

• Illegal Indian immigration to the U.S - As of February 17, the United States has deported 332 undocumented Indian immigrants.
• Recent trend - Most deportations occurred in 2019 (2,042), followed by 2020 (1,889), and 2024 (1,368).

• Prone regions -  In India, rural Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala and Gujarat are prone for migrant smuggling and irregular emigration.
• Nearly 40% of the illegal Indian immigration to the U.S were from Punjab, followed by Haryana and Gujarat .

What needs to be done?

• Parliament must seriously contemplate enacting a national law to control Indian borders to regulate the human smuggling industry and deal with irregularities with an iron hand.
• Emigration (Overseas Mobility Facilitation and Welfare) Bill shall be enacted.

References

1. The Hindu | Human smuggling must engage Parliament’s attention
2. The Hindu | Deportations to India from the U.S.
3. UNODC | Irregular migration vs. migrant smuggling