India, July 16 -- Illegal immigration from India to the United States has dropped sharply, with US border authorities recording 20,614 encounters with Indian migrants through May of FY2026, down 69% from the same period till May in FY2023, when illegal migration from India peaked at more than 67,000 encounters.

An HT analysis of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data shows illegal crossings at both US land borders have fallen dramatically. Encounters with Indian migrants attempting to cross the southwestern border from Mexico have plunged 99%, while those along the northern border with Canada have fallen 91%.

The CBP tracks data from October to September, the US government's fiscal year. Between October 2025 and May 2026, it record...