New Delhi [India], July 17 (ANI): The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday confirmed that approximately 1,563 Indian nationals have been deported from the United States since January 20, 2025, the day Donald Trump assumed office as US President for a second term.

'Since 20 January of this year, till yesterday, some 1563 Indian nationals have been deported from the United States so far. Most of these Indian nationals have come by commercial flight,' MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during the weekly media briefing.

Responding to a query on the arrest of an Indian national in Washington on charges of possessing child pornography, Jaiswal said, 'These are matters of law and order... We would endeavour to tell Indian nationals going abroad that they should abide by local laws, guidelines and regulations.'

Reinforcing the same message in another case, he referred to the reported arrest of an Indian tourist in the US for allegedly shoplifting. The MEA spokesperson reiterated the ministry's consistent advisory for Indian travellers. '...Our constant request to all our people who go abroad is that they should follow the law and order of that country, and create a good image of the country,' he said.

Commenting on the ongoing discussions regarding an India-US trade deal, Jaiswal said, 'This is a matter which is under discussion between the two sides. We will share when something is finalised.'

His remarks came as US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) hinted at the possibility of a new trade deal with India soon. While adding 'maybe', he said that the US is currently in negotiations with India.

Trump mentioned that the US is close to finalizing a deal that would grant American businesses greater access to the Indian market.

Trump while speaking to reporters during a bilateral meeting with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, emphasized that August 1 would be a significant day for trade deals, with substantial revenue expected to flow into the US.

'...We've brought in over $100 billion. The tariffs haven't kicked in significantly, except for automobiles and steel. August 1st is when a very substantial money comes into our country. We've made deals with numerous places. We had one yesterday,' Trump said.

The proposed agreement is expected to reduce tariffs and enhance bilateral trade relations between the two nations.

'We have another one (deal) coming up, maybe with India... We're in negotiation. When I send out a letter, that's a deal... The best deal we can make is to send out a letter, and the letter says that you'll pay 30%, 35%, 25%, 20%... We have some pretty good deals to announce... We're very close to a deal with India where they open it up,' Trump added.

Trump earlier drew parallels with the recent US-Indonesia trade pact, which granted American companies expanded market access in Indonesia.

Announcing progress on the India part, Trump stated, 'We're going to have access into India. And you have to understand, we had no access into any of these countries. Our people couldn't go in. And now we're getting access because of what we're doing with the tariffs.'

The ongoing bilateral trade talks (BTA) negotiations by India and the United States (US) are progressing as per the decisions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, said the government officials on Tuesday.

'Our team is back in the US for carrying out the fifth round of negotiations on the bilateral trade agreement, so that agreement is progressing as per the decisions of our leaders and as per the terms of reference decided between the two countries,' the government officials told ANI. (ANI)