NEW DELHI, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- India's Ministry of External Affairs on Friday confirmed that as many as 2,417 nationals had been deported from the United States this year so far.

Announcing the figure before media persons, the ministry's spokesman Randhir Jaiswal stated that India stood firm against illegal migration and was committed to promoting legal pathways for migration.

"Wherever there is a person who does not possess legal status in any country and he or she is referred to us and a claim is made that he or she is an Indian national, we do the background check, we confirm the nationality and then take them back," he added. ■