A quiet reverse migration is unfolding across villages in north Gujarat from Mehsana to Gandhinagar as elderly couples and single adults, many of whom once slipped into the United States illegally, are now making a discreet return to their homes.
According to reports, villages like Dingucha, Jhulasan, Jetalpur, and Nardipur have become unlikely destinations for these self-deportees fleeing the looming threat of detention under the Trump administration’s harsh immigration crackdown.
The scale of the exodus is no longer anecdotal. A US military aircraft touched down at Amritsar airport in February with 104 deported Indian nationals.
According to data published in media outlets at the time, the largest contingents — 33 each — hailed from Gujarat and Haryana, with Punjab accounting for 30.
The numbers underscored Gujarat’s long-standing role in both sending and now receiving waves of migrants linked to the volatile American immigration landscape.
Since Donald Trump returned to office, deportations of Indian nationals from the US have soared. India’s Ministry of External Affairs disclosed that 1,703 Indians have been sent back in just six and a half months — an average of eight deportations per day.
This figure is nearly triple the daily average under the Biden administration, which saw about three deportations a day between January 2020 and December 2024. Remarkably, the recent spike accounts for almost 25 per cent of all Indian deportations over the past five and a half years, totaling 7,244.
In Gujarat, local officials and sources estimate that at least 220 individuals have returned voluntarily in recent months. Many are resurfacing after years abroad and are now actively reintegrating into their native communities. Aadhaar cards have been reissued, homes reopened, and neighbourhoods repopulated — especially across Mehsana and Gandhinagar districts, long identified by state and central agencies as epicenters of illegal immigration networks.
One striking example involves a 65-year-old man from Mehsana who illegally entered the US in 2009. He arrived in Gujarat via Delhi on July 7. He was booked for allegedly deceiving Indian immigration authorities. A police official familiar with the case confirmed that his return was triggered by the Trump administration’s renewed and determined cracking down on undocumented immigrants.
In Dingucha alone, nearly 100 returnees have settled in the last three to four months, many of them seeking local documentation, according to the village talati. The transformation is visible.
Reports have revealed that the village, once sparsely populated, now bustles with activity. Temple courtyards and public benches that sat empty for years are now filled with conversations. It wasn’t lost on the locals that the returnees stood out with a different avatar: fairer, healthier, and well-dressed.
A visa consultant based in Kalol told a section of the media that fear, not choice, is the real motivator. With legal protections vanishing, undocumented migrants are increasingly apprehensive about detention. He stated that most now see no viable path to shelter or asylum and are opting to exit the US voluntarily to avoid legal consequences.
Also Read: India Vote Chori: Provide Documents, Karnataka CEO Asks Rahul Gandhi https://www.vibesofindia.com/rahul-gandhi-vote-theft/
