Illegal migrations: Trump warns Europe, says he minimized influx in the US
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: US President Donald Trump, who has warned Europe to focus more on illegal migrants rather than Russia, said that February saw a “record-low” illegal immigrations entering into the US, and that the ‘invasion’ of America is over.
Taking a dig at Europe on his Truth Social platform, he said: “We should spend less time worrying about (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, and more time worrying about migrant rape gangs, drug lords, murderers, and people from mental institutions entering our country. So, we don’t end up like Europe!”
With this he hinted at the problem of illegal migrants in the UK, particularly those from Pakistan, allegedly involved in gang-raping about 40,000 British and other girls in recent years. Likewise, illegal migrants in Europe, getting support from influential rights groups, have led to the rise of many rightist parties across the continent.
Trump claimed that February 2025 saw the lowest number of illegal border crossings in the US history.
“The month of February, my first full month in Office, had the LOWEST number of Illegal Immigrants trying to enter our Country in History – BY FAR!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday. There were 8,326 apprehensions at the US-Mexico border, with all detainees either deported or facing criminal prosecution, the media reported on Monday.
Trump compared the figures to those under his predecessor Joe Biden’s presidency, saying, “300,000 Illegals crossing in one month.”
He declared the southern border with Mexico “CLOSED to all Illegal Immigrants,” and warned that anyone attempting to enter the US illegally would face “significant criminal penalties and immediate deportation.”
“The Invasion of our Country is OVER,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon will send nearly 3,000 more active-duty troops to the US-Mexico border as Trump seeks to clamp down on illegal immigration and fulfil a central promise of his campaign, US officials said Saturday last.
Last week, the Trump administration announced a new registry requiring all undocumented migrants in the US aged 14 and over to self-report or face fines and prosecution.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said those affected must provide fingerprints and their current address.
“An alien’s failure to register is a crime that could result in a fine, imprisonment, or both,” said a DHS statement. “For decades, this law has been ignored — not anymore.”
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a division of DHS, said it would soon release details on the registration process.
Mass deportations have been a focus of Trump’s immigration policy. US officials have identified around 18,000 Indian nationals they believe entered illegally, and sent some of them back to India in recent days.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in February that India would take back its nationals living in the US illegally and would also crack down on human trafficking networks.
“These are children of very ordinary families, and they are lured by big dreams and promises,” he said during a visit to Washington.
Undocumented migrants make up 3 percent of the US population and 22 percent of its foreign-born residents.
According to a Pew Research Center and the Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS), the US had around 700,000 undocumented Indian migrants as of 2022, ranking them third after Mexico and El Salvador.
The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) puts the number at 375,000, ranking India fifth in terms of illegal migrants.
Indian migrants make up only a small proportion of the overall unauthorised population of the US. In recent days, 335 Indian nationals have been deported.
