The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced that 3,065 Sri Lankans are among over 1.4 million illegal immigrants facing deportation under the new Trump administration.
The deportation list includes individuals from various countries who are residing in the U.S. illegally. However, Sri Lanka is not among the countries opposing the deportation process, according to ICE.
A document released by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) on 24 November 2024 states that 1,445,549 noncitizens are currently on ICE’s non-detained docket with final orders of removal, which includes the 3,065 Sri Lankans.
The U.S. government has urged foreign governments to confirm the citizenship of noncitizens suspected to be their nationals by conducting interviews, issuing travel documents promptly, and accepting deportees via scheduled commercial or charter flights in line with ICE and foreign government removal guidelines.
Failure to cooperate in accepting deportees could result in ICE classifying countries as uncooperative or at risk of non-compliance.
Currently, ICE lists 15 countries as uncooperative, including China, India, Russia, Cuba, Iran, and Pakistan. Additionally, 11 countries are considered at risk of non-compliance, including Iraq, Vietnam, Nicaragua, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Sri Lanka is not included in either category, indicating its cooperation with U.S. deportation policies.
