If an alien were to gain insights into the immigrant ‘situation’ currently playing out in the US, the Netflix show Mo would act as a good gateway. Except, it might lead the alien to believe that there are no Indian immigrants, legal or illegal, in the US.

Mo, the semi-autobiographical comedy created by Palestinian-American comic Mo Amer, along with Egyptian-American Ramy Youssef, traces the life of Mohammad ‘Mo’ Najjar, whose family arrived in Houston two decades ago as Palestinian asylum seekers from Kuwait. Through two seasons, the series has captured the hopes, dreams, despair, deceit, dehumanisation, discriminatory cultural practices, etc., that define the immigrant experience. Mo’s family is the vehicle through which the heated ongoing debate on immigration in the US is carried to different parts of the world in an airy, easy manner. Quite in contrast with military aircrafts full of deported illegal immigrants.

Where Are The Indians?

Mo grew up in Houston, speaking Arabic, Spanish, and English, and has hustled all his life to take care of his family after his father’s death. His struggles are everyone’s struggles, only exacerbated by the undocumented status of his family. His social circle is full of other immigrants to the US—Africans, Hispanics, Arabs, and everyone else in between. 

But, what about Indians? 

It is interesting that despite living in Houston, a city with the largest South Asian population in the US, Mo has managed to steer clear of them in both seasons. Just like Mo has managed to steer clear of October 7, 2023. According to the 2020 census, Houston is home to about 165,000 Indians, the seventh-largest in the US. 

On Culture And Divide

After Hispanic and Vietnamese immigrants, Indians account for the single largest immigrant community in Houston. So why does Mo never interact with one? He grew up in Alief, a working-class suburb in southwest Houston, which was the most culturally and ethnically diverse school district in the US in 1996. A news report on Alief in 2006 sums it up succinctly in one sentence: “The district’s 47,000 students speak nearly 70 tongues.” Yet, we do not see a single Indian in Mo’s immigrant universe. 

Could it be owing to the cultural insularity that Indian immigrants are (in)famous for? A Carnegie survey from 2021 found, “Indian Americans—especially members of the first generation—tend to socialise with other Indian Americans. Internally, the social networks of Indian Americans are more homogenous in terms of religion than either Indian region (state) of origin or caste”. Another relevant finding is that “divisions in India are being reproduced within the Indian American community”. 

Is it, then, possible that Indian immigrants, primarily Hindus, choose to have minimal consociational engagement with Mo’s community? Maybe, therefore, Indians are not even a footnote in Mo’s story. 

Mo is not entirely blameless, either. Devout Muslims, the Najjars are uncomfortable with the idea of embracing non-Muslims in the family’s fold. Religion dictates their worldview as much as their regional identity as “stateless” Palestinians. Yusra, Mo’s mother, disapproves of his relationship with Mexican Maria, who wears her Catholicism on her sleeve as a tattoo. When Maria starts a rebound relationship with an Israeli-Jewish guy called Guy, she does so knowing that Mo won’t be able to forgive that, thus making it easier for her to move on.

An ‘Elite’ Immigrant

Or, maybe there’s another explanation for the absence of Indian immigrants in this beloved story of the immigrant realities in the US. A 2023 Pew survey shows that the median income of the immigrant Indian households is “greater than the median household income among Asian Americans overall”. So, Mo’s tattoo artist friend, who is also doubling as an emergency surgeon suturing his bullet graze, and his codeine dealer, a fellow hustler, is a man of Southeast Asian/Chinese origin. It is the underbelly of the immigrant American society that makes up Mo’s universe. 

Mo, however, is an ‘elite’ immigrant. He realises this when he spends time first in a cartel’s and later in a “coyote’s” dungeon in Mexico, holding prospective illegals with an American dream. Even though Mo’s family is struggling financially, they didn’t have to undertake a life-threatening journey to the US. However, many of those currently being deported to India had to. After paying a hefty sum—almost as much as the Rolling Stone figure of $10,000 quoted by Nick, Mo’s childhood friend. Yet, upon landing in the US territory, is the shared misery of the mule “dunki” route forgotten in the race to realise the American dream? 

As per the World Bank, India received $125 billion in remittances, a much more significant sum than the $71.92 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2023-24. Undocumented immigrants, living and working under deportation fears, send a bigger chunk of their earnings back home. Maybe this is why Indians do not frequent gaming arcades and clubs that Mo and his friends often haunt. And those who can afford doing so prefer to socialise among their own.

Whatever the reasons are, Indians’ absence from this saga of immigration is conspicuous and demands a think about the home and the world. 

(The author is a Delhi-based author and academic.)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author

Washington DC:

US President Donald Trump’s billionaire adviser Elon Musk a video posted by the White House showing immigrants in shackles being prepared to board a deportation flight from Seattle. The footage shared by the White House on social media showed illegal immigrants being put in cuffs and shackles while being prepared to board a deportation flight.

It showed the law enforcement officials lifting heavy chains attached to handcuffs and shackles chains from a basket and arranged on the airport tarmac alongside four additional sets of restraints before they were put on the migrants as they boarded the plane.

The White House labelled the footage as an autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) video. ASMR refers to a tingly feeling some people experience when watching videos featuring unusual sounds, like whispering or fingernails tapping on a surface.

The video was later reposted by Elon Musk on his X handle with the caption “Haha wow”.

Haha wow https://t.co/PXFXpiGU0U

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 18, 2025

The post caught further flak from netizens who dubbed Musk’s reaction as “disgusting” and “dehumanising.”

“This is disgusting. The fact that you think this is funny speaks volumes,” commented an X user on Musk’s post. 

“You are pathetic, @elonmusk. A small man who laughs at a video of undocumented immigrants in shackles boarding a plan for being deported,” wrote another.

Another X user pointed out that the treatment of deportees by the US government was not just sad but also “dehumanising”.

US President Donald Trump has launched a massive crackdown on immigration, with illegal migrants, including Indians, being deported to their homelands. Thousands of undocumented immigrants have already been sent back, including those from Guatemala, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China among other countries.

However, questions have been raised over the treatment mated to these deported immigrants as they are being hackled and handcuffed on their way back home. 

When faced with difficulty directly deporting some migrants to their homelands, the US is also using Panama as a “stopover”, with Costa Rica expected to receive a similar flight of third-country deportees later today (February 19).

President Donald Trump’s immigration policies would likely have devastating effects on Corporate America’s growth and earnings, but investors haven’t been perturbed yet – largely because they don’t believe he’ll follow through on the full extent of his plans.

It’s a gamble that would be costly to lose, strategists and analysts say, with mass deportations likely upending industries as varied as service-heavy hospitality and leisure, and labor-intensive agriculture, food production, manufacturing and construction.

While the Trump administration declared a national emergency at the southern border and started sending deportees back to Central America, it has so far held off on mass deportations and large-scale workplace raids.

There were signs of relief of Wall Street not dissimilar to the broad advance in the S&P 500 spurred by softer-than-expected moves on tariffs. Restaurant operator Yum! Brands Inc. rallied 2.4% in Trump’s first week, paring its January loss. Building materials maker Owens Corning jumped 3%, while hotel and resort operators suffered minor declines.

The bet distills to relying on Trump’s use of the stock market as his scorecard and that he’ll avoid policies that hamper economic growth and weigh on share prices. In short, traders and investors don’t think Trump will actually go all the way despite the policy having broad support from voters.

“People forget very quickly that often there is a lot more talk than actual execution, especially with mid-term elections coming up in 20 months,” said Todd Ahlsten, chief investment officer for Parnassus Investments. “So we do not want to over-extrapolate what could be a short-term blip and get it wrong.”

Aside from Trump’s penchant to overpromise on broad policies, investors betting on a tamer approach to deportation point to the likelihood that many of the actions will be tested in the courts and face funding challenges as he tries to cut federal spending.  

And while deporting one million to two million people per year is feasible, according to estimates by Jefferies LLC strategists, that’s a far cry from rapidly removing the 11 million undocumented people estimated to live in the US.

The risk to his following through is immense. Trump’s full proposals would trigger shockwaves throughout the economy, according to strategists, economists and Wall Street pros. Inflation would soar and labor-intensive industries such as agriculture and construction would struggle to find workers. Returning the country’s entire population of undocumented immigrants will reduce America’s gross domestic product by 8%, an analysis from Bloomberg Economics found.

“If we are talking about a rapid deportation of 10 million people, I think it is fair to say that while the impact would not be on the same scale as the pandemic era, it could be close,” said Mark Malek, chief investment officer at Siebert. “This all could have a painful impact on employment, inflation, and the economy.”

Disruption Risk

Investors worried about the Trump deportation plans will be focusing on shaers of companies that own hotel properties and fast-food restaurants, along with producers of food and building products – all industries that rely on low-skill labor.

There are signs of stress in the hospitality sector. Host Hotels & Resorts Inc., Park Hotels & Resorts Inc., Xenia Hotels & Resorts Inc., Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc. and Ryman Hospitality Properties Inc. have all stumbled so far this  year, and saw only a little relief during Trump’s first week in office.

They, along with meat processors like Tyson Foods Inc., wil get a squeeze from higher labor costs, especially California, Texas and Florida. Jefferies strategists found that the loss of about one million production workers would lead to five months of disruptions and a roughly 8% increase in wages in the meat-processing industry.

Tyson shares have slumped on worries about avian flu, though the stock advanced 1.5% in the past two sessions.

Restaurant operators in the S&P 500, facing the prospect of higher wages and food costs if deportations increase, jumped nearly 2% in the week after stumbling to start 2025. Investors will be focused on earnings commentary from the likes of Jack in the Box Inc., McDonald’s Corp., Restaurant Brands International Inc., Wendy’s Co., Domino’s Pizza Inc. and Papa John’s International Inc. to gauge the level of concern among executives.

Companies exposed to construction – from home-improvement retailers Home Depot Inc. and Lowe’s Cos Inc., to services and materials providers like TopBuild Corp., Installed Building Products Inc., Owens Corning, Beacon Roofing Supply Inc. and Builders FirstSource Inc. – could see disruptions as well. In markets such as Texas, California and Florida, over 45% of construction workers are immigrants, according to data from Jefferies.    

Big Tech won’t be spared either, as the new administration also plans to restrict work visas for highly-skilled foreigners through the H-1B program. Information-technology outsourcing firm Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp., and major tech behemoths Amazon.com Inc., Meta Platforms Inc., Alphabet Inc., Microsoft Corp. and IBM all have significant exposure to the visa program, Jefferies strategists said. However, they expect only a minimal impact to profitability unless there are “wholesale changes” to the H-1B visa.    

Trump’s plans on immigration come at a time when investors are still wrestling with the delicate balance between a resilient economy and a stubborn inflation. The S&P 500’s latest rally was triggered by a cooler-than-expected inflation print in mid-January.

Anything that derails this progress will have a domino effect on equity prices and bond yields.

“Eventually the issue is how much of a supply shock is this for the labor market,” said Alicia Levine, head of investment strategy and equities at BNY Wealth. “It may eventually be more inflationary than tariffs because it’s immediate.”

Despite these risks, investors are largely positioning for immigration issues with the same strategy they’re using for tariffs. The idea is to focus on what actually gets done, not be swayed by what Trump threatens, and closely monitor the sectors that are bound to get caught in the crosshairs.

“I think the actual immigration actions will be modest,” said Brad Conger, chief investment officer at Hirtle Callaghan. “I cannot imagine a situation where the deportation and other moves will be so severe that I will have to change my investments.”

In a move that could potentially delay President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to crack down on immigration, the Biden administration has extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 900,000 immigrants from Venezuela, El Salvador, Ukraine, and Sudan. This decision, announced just days before Trump’s inauguration, grants these individuals a deportation reprieve and access to work permits for an additional 18 months.

The move is seen as a strategic effort to safeguard the rights of vulnerable immigrants, who have been living and working in the US under TPS. By extending the program, the Biden administration is effectively putting in place a temporary barrier against any potential attempts by the Trump administration to dismantle or significantly alter the program.

TPS has become a contentious issue, with Republicans arguing that it has been granted too liberally to too many foreigners, and acts as a draw to migrants to come to the US illegally. However, the program has been expanded aggressively under Biden, with over 1 million people from 17 countries currently living in the US under TPS.

The extension of TPS for Venezuelans, in particular, is significant, given the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cited the “inhumane” government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was sworn in for a third term on Friday, as justification for the extension.

Countries affected by the TPS extension:

– Venezuela: Over 600,000 Venezuelans will benefit from the extension, which is based on the “humanitarian emergency” the country continues to face due to political and economic crises under the Maduro regime.
– El Salvador: More than 230,000 Salvadorans are protected under the program, which was first extended to the country in 2001 after a series of earthquakes.
– Ukraine: Approximately 100,000 people from Ukraine will benefit from the extension, which is based on the ongoing conflict in the region.
– Sudan: 1,900 individuals from Sudan will also benefit from the extension.

The TPS program was established under President George H.W. Bush as part of the Immigration Act of 1990. It is intended to provide foreigners already in the US with protections from deportation amid political strife, natural disasters, or armed conflict in their home countries.
 

Although President-elect Donald Trump had made mass deportations the cornerstone of his incoming administration, he might have to reign in on his plans since Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director P.J. Lechleitner told the NBC News that they are “chronically underresourced” and need more funding.

ICE is currently reeling under a $230 million budget shortfall, even before Trump imposes the extra pressure of historic deportations on them, according to officials.

“We are running hot,” said the officials and revealed that the agency has been underfunded historically and under the duress of the Joe Biden administration to remove migrants after the change in asylum policy, more so.

The incoming Trump administration’s ambitious plans of mass deportations will cost more than $88 billion and Trump said that there is “no price tag” on his mass deportation plans, and has insisted on it being done.

He has also suggested utilising the country’s military to carry out the operation as much as the law allows.

With nearly 8 million immigrants in ICE’s tab, for every 7,000 cases, there is one ICE officer. Lechleitner said that this ratio is “not good” and other officials of ICE say that it is impossible to keep a tab on all migrants inside the country.

The ICE is facing a funding shortfall, despite a continuing resolution spending bill introduced in Congress. The agency’s operations, including detaining and deporting migrants, are exceeding its $8.7 billion annual budget. This shortfall may force ICE to release migrants due to insufficient funding for detention beds, following 2023’s record-high border crossings.

The continuing resolution is expected to pass, extending current funding levels until March 14. However, ICE’s funding requests have been higher, with a bipartisan border bill proposing $9.5 billion and the Biden administration’s fiscal year 2025 budget requesting $9.3 billion. These requests have not been approved by Congress, despite Republican calls for increased immigration enforcement.
 

According to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency report released on Thursday, more than 271,000 immigrants were deported from the US over the last fiscal year even as President Joe Biden pledged to pause deportations in 2021.

The change in decision comes in the wake of a surge in border crossings.

The number of immigrants released last year is the largest number deported in nearly a decade, even surpassing the numbers during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term in office.

The flow of deportations made by the Biden administration seems to be happening because of a streamlined process, as the report by ICE suggests, weeks before Trump assumes office.

Majority of the deportations in the year 2024 involved illegal migrants who were apprehended by border officials compared to those arrested in the country’s interior. About 82 per cent of immigrants deported were arrested by border officials.

Karoline Leavitt, who would serve as the national press secretary for the incoming administration said that Biden’s deportation numbers are feeble compared to the numbers of illegal immigration during his presidency. “On day one, President Trump will fix the immigration and national security nightmare that Joe Biden created by launching the largest mass deportation operation of illegal criminals in United States history,” she said.

According to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the number of migrant encounters along the US-Mexico border have dropped to their lowest level since 2020.

Even though Trump has made mass deportations the cornerstone of his incoming administration, the Immigration machinery seems to be “running hot” on budget, with a $230 million shortfall.

And a shortfall could mean Trump might have to delay his “mass deportation” plans.

President-elect Donald Trump plans to launch a mass deportation operation targeting millions of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally and with temporary protections once he takes office on Jan. 20, a challenging initiative that could split apart families and affect U.S. businesses.

There were roughly 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally or with a temporary status at the start of 2022, a figure that some analysts say has increased to 13-14 million. Those with temporary protections are not immediately deportable and many live in “sanctuary” states that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

WHERE DO IMMIGRANTS WITHOUT LEGAL STATUS LIVE?

California was the state with the most immigrants in the U.S. illegally with some 2.2 million in 2022, according to estimates by the Center for Migration Studies of New York, a nonpartisan think tank.

Texas was close behind with 1.8 million, followed by Florida (936,000), New York (672,000). New Jersey (495,000) and Illinois (429,000).

California, New York, New Jersey and Illinois – all Democratic strongholds – are among 11 states with “sanctuary” laws or policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, according to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.

Some 44% of immigrants in the U.S. illegally lived in sanctuary states in 2022, according to the migration center’s estimate. That figure does not include those in sanctuary cities and counties in places without a state-wide law, such as New Mexico.

Most of the immigrants taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are caught illegally crossing the border or are referred from state and local prisons and jails.

Law enforcement in sanctuary states typically refuse to alert ICE when they detain or release an immigrant eligible for deportation.

WHERE DO IMMIGRANTS WITHOUT LEGAL STATUS COME FROM?

Nearly half of the immigrants in the U.S. illegally in 2022 came from Mexico, amounting to 4.8 million of 11 million overall, according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security report.

Other top countries were Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

Since January 2022, some 2 million immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela were either caught crossing illegally or allowed to enter via Biden-era humanitarian programs, according to DHS statistics.

Trump intends to end the Biden entry programs, including one for migrants with U.S. sponsors and another that allows migrants in Mexico to use an app to enter through a legal border crossing.

WHERE DO IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. ILLEGALLY WORK?

The vast majority of the immigrants in the U.S. illegally in 2022 were prime working age, according to the DHS report. About 8.7 million of the 11 million were ages 18-54.

Farm groups have urged Trump to spare their workers from his promised mass deportations, arguing their removal would upend the U.S. food supply chain.

Think tanks and the U.S. government have varying estimates for the number of agricultural workers that live in the U.S. illegally. The Center for Migration Studies of New York found the total number to be 283,000 in 2022, with about half in California. U.S. government estimates suggest the nationwide total could be closer to 1 million.

HOW MANY AMERICANS LIVE IN ‘MIXED-STATUS HOUSEHOLDS’?

The immigration advocacy group FWD.us projected that there would be 14.5 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally by January 2025, up from the 11 million in 2022.

Of those, 10.1 million live with a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, what’s known as a “mixed-status household.”

The figure suggests that a large-scale deportation initiative would likely split up families and could affect millions of U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

At least 5.1 million U.S. citizen children live with an immigrant parent who lacks legal status, according to a FWD.us analysis of government data.

Those families could face the prospect of relocating to another country together or be separated.

HOW LONG HAVE IMMIGRANTS WHO LACK LEGAL STATUS LIVED IN THE U.S.?

Some 54% of immigrants in the U.S. illegally had lived in the country for more than 10 years as of 2022, according to the report by Center for Migration Studies of New York.

About 25 percent had been in the country for less than five years.

HOW MANY IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. NOW LACK LEGAL STATUS?

DHS, the Center for Migration Studies of New York and other think tanks have used U.S. Census data and other figures to estimate that there were about 11 million immigrants in the U.S. in 2022 who either lacked legal immigration status or had temporary humanitarian protections.

DHS enforcement and entry statistics suggest that at least 5 million more immigrants entered the U.S. without legal status or with a temporary humanitarian status since then.

However, some of those immigrants have since been deported, voluntarily left, obtained legal status or died over the same period. An up-to-date estimate that factors in all of these outcomes is not available.

ARE PEOPLE WITH TEMPORARY PROTECTIONS COUNTED IN THESE ESTIMATES?

Yes, the estimates of immigrants in the U.S. illegally typically include people who have temporary humanitarian protections, meaning they would not be immediately deportable.

The protections include 1.1 million people covered by Temporary Protected Status (TPS) as of Sept. 30. TPS grants deportation relief and access to work permits to people already in the U.S. if their home countries are deemed unsafe due to armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary circumstances.

The designations last six- to 18-months but can be renewed indefinitely. Trump sought to end most TPS enrollment during his 2017-2021 presidency but was blocked by federal courts.

He is expected to try to end most TPS enrollment as the protections expire, but the process would face litigation.

Thousands more have a similar status known as Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) that Trump could also try to roll back.

Another 535,000 people have deportation relief and work permits through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program for “Dreamer” immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

Trump tried to end the DACA program during his first term but was rebuffed by the Supreme Court.

Trump is expected to again try to end DACA although he said in a recent interview that he would be open to a deal to protect “Dreamers.”

The state of Texas is currently leading a lawsuit against the program that could make its way back to the Supreme Court during Trump’s presidency.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Nearly 18,000 undocumented Indians in the United States face the risk of deportation, data revealed ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s January 20th inauguration. According to figures from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), 17,940 Indians are among the 1.445 million individuals with final orders of removal.

For many of these undocumented Indians, securing legal status remains a major challenge. Numerous individuals are caught in prolonged legal proceedings, with hearings often scheduled years into the future. In the past three years, ICE has apprehended an average of 90,000 Indian nationals each year trying to enter the US illegally.

A significant portion of the undocumented Indians facing deportation come from high-migration states of Punjab, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh, according to local immigration experts. India ranks 13th on ICE’s list of 208 countries with undocumented immigrants in the US, following nations like Honduras and Guatemala. India is one of the few Asian countries on the list, alongside China, which has 37,908 undocumented nationals in the country.

Compounding the issue, India has been labelled “uncooperative” by ICE due to delays in verifying citizenship and issuing travel documents for deportation. The US expects countries to assist by confirming the nationality of their citizens, conducting interviews, and facilitating their return, either through commercial or charter flights. India is currently one of 15 nations classified as uncooperative, alongside Pakistan, China, Iran, and Venezuela.

ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) is responsible for enforcing US immigration laws, focusing on the identification, arrest, detention, and deportation of non-citizens who are in violation of those laws.

In a recent press release, ICE underlines its focus on national security and public safety. The department said, “ERO officers prioritise enforcement actions based on agency and department priorities, funding, and capacity,” adding their operations were flexible enough to address situations such as increases in border crossings, changes in US laws, and unforeseen events like pandemics or natural disasters.

The incoming Donald Trump administration has made clear that it will intensify efforts to remove undocumented immigrants. As part of his immigration policy, Trump has pledged to prioritise the deportation of individuals with final removal orders, including those from India. The president-elect has also talked about his plans to involve the US military in deportation efforts, framing illegal immigration as a national security threat that requires decisive action.

After his re-election in November, Trump reaffirmed his pledge to reduce both legal and illegal immigration, promising to strengthen deportation efforts as part of his wider plan.

Local residents and Afghan nationals during a protest rally in the southwestern border town of Chaman, Pakistan, on October 26, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

Pakistan is setting up deportation centres for migrants who are in the country illegally, including an estimated 1.7 million Afghans, officials said on October 26. Anyone found staying in the country without authorization from next Wednesday (November 1) will be arrested and sent to one of centres.

The move is the latest development in a Pakistani government crackdown to expel foreigners without registration or documents.

Jan Achakzai, a spokesman for the government in southwestern Pakistan’s Baluchistan province, said three deportation centres were being set up there. One will be in Quetta, the provincial capital.

Azam Khan, the caretaker Chief Minister for northwest Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said the region also would have three deportation centres. More than 60,000 Afghans have returned home since the crackdown was announced, he said.

Migrants who are living in the country illegally should leave before a October 31 deadline to avoid arrest, he said.

Pakistan’s caretaker Interior Minister, Sarfraz Bugti, says the deadline will not be extended.

Mr. Bugti said during a news conference on October 26 that no migrants living in Pakistan without authorization illegally would be mistreated after their arrests. “They will not be manhandled,” he said, adding that they would get food and medical care until their deportations.

They are allowed to take a maximum of 50,000 Pakistani rupees ($180) out of the country, he said.

The Minister warned Pakistanis that action would be taken against them if they are found to be sheltering migrants who are in the country illegally after November 1.

The government has information about the areas where these migrants are hiding, Mr. Bugti said. Deporting them is a challenge for the state, but “nothing is impossible to achieve it,” he added.

The country hosts millions of Afghans who fled their country during the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation. The numbers swelled after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021.

Pakistan says the 1.4 million Afghans who are registered as refugees need not worry. It denies targeting Afghans and says the focus is on people who are in the country illegally, regardless of their nationality.

In the southwest Pakistani border town of Chaman, tens of thousands of people protested the crackdown and new plans requiring the town’s residents to obtain a visa to cross the border into Afghanistan. They previously had special permits. The protesters included Afghans.

“We have relatives in Afghanistan. We also do business there; we have our shops there,” Allah Noor Achakzai, a 50-year old Pakistani, said

He said Afghans crossed the border into Pakistan everyday and returned home before the crossing closed, and that locals from both countries have gone back and forth on a daily basis for decades.

Last week, a group of former U.S. diplomats and representatives of resettlement organizations urged Pakistan not to deport Afghans awaiting U.S. visas under a program that relocates at-risk refugees fleeing Taliban rule.

The U.N. issued a similar appeal, saying the crackdown could lead to human rights violations, including the separation of families.