U.S. to deport 3,065 Sri Lankans amid crackdown on illegal immigrants

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced that among the foreigners set to be deported by the new American administration, 3,065 are Sri Lankans.

The new Donald Trump administration has compiled a list of 1,445,549 individuals from various countries who are residing illegally in the United States.

According to a document released by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), as of November 24, 2024, these individuals are on ICE’s non-detained docket with final orders of removal.

This includes 3,065 Sri Lankans, who are now subject to deportation.

The U.S. government requires foreign governments to verify the citizenship of individuals suspected to be their nationals before deportation. This process involves conducting interviews, issuing travel documents promptly, and accepting the physical return of deported nationals via scheduled commercial or charter flights, in accordance with ICE and/or foreign government removal guidelines.

Additionally, a list of countries that do not support the U.S. government’s deportation measures has been released, and Sri Lanka is not among them. Countries that fail to cooperate in accepting the return of their nationals may be classified by ICE as uncooperative or at risk of non-compliance.

Currently, ICE has designated 15 countries as uncooperative: Bhutan, Burma, Cuba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Laos, Pakistan, the People’s Republic of China, Russia, Somalia, and Venezuela. Meanwhile, 11 other countries are considered at risk of non-compliance: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Gabon, Gambia, Iraq, Jamaica, Nicaragua, South Sudan, St. Lucia, and Vietnam.

Sri Lanka’s absence from both lists indicates that it is cooperating with the deportation process and will accept the return of its nationals as per the U.S. government’s request.