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‘If you break law…’: US embassy in India warns against illegal immigration amid H-1B visa delay

A DHS spokesperson said on December 30 that the agency's New Year's resolution for 2026 is “more worst of the worst arrests”.

Updated on: Dec 31, 2025 4:24 PM IST
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The United States Embassy in India said on Wednesday that people who break the country's law will be punished with “significant criminal penalties”. The embassy added that the current administration of President Donald Trump is “committed” to ending illegal immigration to the United States.

“The Trump Administration is committed to ending illegal immigration to the United States," said the US embassy in India. (Representational/Raj K Raj/HT Photo)
“The Trump Administration is committed to ending illegal immigration to the United States," said the US embassy in India. (Representational/Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

The advisory comes even as skilled professional seeking an H-1B visa for the US are facing long wait time and rescheduling of their visa interviews.

“If you break U.S. law, you will be punished with significant criminal penalties,” the embassy said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

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“The Trump Administration is committed to ending illegal immigration to the United States and protecting our nation’s borders and our citizens,” it added.

This comes as the US' Immigration and Customs Enforcement said on December 30, 2025 that a day before, on December 29, it “arrested the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens" across the United States "convicted of heinous crimes including raping a child under 12-years-old, domestic violence assault, and alien smuggling”.

“In President Trump’s first year in office, ICE law enforcement relentlessly targeted the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens across our country,” said a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson in a statement.

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It added that the agency's New Year's resolution for 2026 is “more worst of the worst arrests”.

Throughout the year, the ICE officials have carried out several raids to arrest or detain undocumented immigrants from across the country. They have also received flak for the action and have been confronted by civilians on major occasions.

A major crackdown on illegal immigration in the United States was one of the major promises made by US President Donald Trump during his presidential run last year, on which he seemed determined to deliver during the first year of his second term in the White House.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration also introduced a major overhaul of the popular H-1B visa program, through which several Indians seek to work in the United States. The latest set of regulations replaced the random lottery for H-1B visas with a weighted system that favors highly skilled and higher-paid workers.

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