Over 1.67L Indians deported from abroad in 5 years, govt tells House

  • February 15, 2026
  • Social Issues

Morning Standard

Over 1.67L Indians deported from abroad in 5 years, govt tells House

Context

The article reports that over 1.67 lakh Indian nationals were deported between 2021–2025, as informed by the Ministry of External Affairs in the Lok Sabha. The highest deportations were from Gulf and Southeast Asian countries. The report also flags recruitment scams, fraudulent travel agents, and complaints registered across Indian states.

Key Arguments in the Article

Scale of Deportations

  • 1.21 lakh deported from Saudi Arabia
  • 22,209 from UAE
  • Significant numbers from Malaysia, Qatar, US, Myanmar
  • European countries account for relatively fewer cases

Fraudulent Recruitment Networks

  • 3,925 complaints and 955 FIRs registered
  • Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu among states reporting high cases
  • Social media used for overseas job scams

Government Response

  • Acknowledgement of dubious entities
  • Deportations often linked to visa violations, illegal stay, or document irregularities
  • Limited information-sharing from foreign governments except during deportation processes

Author’s Stance

The tone is largely factual and parliamentary in orientation. It focuses on:

  • Government data disclosure
  • Law enforcement action
  • Recruitment fraud dimension

The article avoids overt editorialising, but the framing indirectly highlights systemic vulnerabilities in migration governance and labour protection.

Structural Issues Underlying the Numbers

Push Factors

  • High youth unemployment
  • Aspirational migration culture
  • Skill mismatch domestically

Pull Factors

  • Gulf labour demand
  • Informal recruitment chains
  • Perception of high wages abroad

Intermediary Exploitation

  • Unregulated recruitment agents
  • Social media-driven scams
  • Inadequate awareness of legal migration pathways

Pros and Cons of Government Handling

Pros

  • Parliamentary transparency in sharing data
  • FIRs and complaint registration indicate enforcement response
  • Recognition of recruitment scams

Cons

  • Preventive regulation of agents appears reactive, not systemic
  • Limited bilateral labour monitoring frameworks
  • Inadequate migrant pre-departure counselling in vulnerable states

Policy Implications

Migration Governance Reform
The data underscores the need to strengthen the Emigration Act framework, digital verification of recruitment agencies, and stricter licensing norms.

Labour Diplomacy
India must institutionalise:

  • Labour mobility agreements
  • Social security portability
  • Standardised worker contracts

Data Transparency and Bilateral Cooperation
Foreign governments not sharing full details of illegal stays limits preventive policymaking. Structured information-sharing arrangements are essential.

State-Level Accountability
High complaint concentration in certain states suggests the need for:

  • Migrant resource centres
  • Skill certification alignment with destination-country requirements
  • Stronger policing of recruitment intermediaries

Real-World Impact

  • Economic loss to families due to fraud
  • Social distress and indebtedness
  • Reputational risks for Indian migrant workforce
  • Diplomatic sensitivities in labour-receiving countries

At the macro level, remittances remain a strong pillar of India’s external sector stability. However, irregular migration episodes can destabilise both livelihoods and bilateral trust.

UPSC GS Paper Alignment

GS Paper II – International Relations

  • Labour mobility and diaspora diplomacy
  • Bilateral agreements with Gulf countries
  • Protection of Indian nationals abroad

GS Paper II – Governance

  • Regulation of recruitment agencies
  • Role of MEA and state governments

GS Paper III – Economy

  • Remittances and external sector stability
  • Migration and labour markets

GS Paper I – Indian Society

  • Migration trends
  • Youth aspirations and unemployment

 

Balanced Conclusion and Future Perspective

The deportation of over 1.67 lakh Indians reflects not merely immigration violations but deeper structural issues in labour migration management. While enforcement mechanisms are functioning post-facto, preventive regulation remains inadequate.

Going forward, India must:

  1. Strengthen legal migration channels and awareness campaigns
  2. Digitally regulate and monitor recruitment agents
  3. Expand labour mobility partnerships
  4. Integrate skill development with global labour demand

Migration will continue to be a vital economic and social phenomenon. The challenge is to transform it from a vulnerability-driven exodus into a regulated, skill-based mobility strategy that protects workers while strengthening India’s global labour footprint.