A U.S. military aircraft carrying illegal Indian immigrants landed at Amritsar Airport. Photo: NDTV
A U.S. military aircraft carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants has landed in Amritsar, Punjab, India. As part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, the plane arrived at Sri Guru Ram Dass Ji International Airport in Amritsar on Wednesday (February 5). The C-17 military aircraft departed from San Antonio, Texas, on Tuesday, heading toward Amritsar. Indian news outlet NDTV reported the incident.
Citing sources, NDTV reported that the identity of each Indian citizen on board was verified, indicating India’s involvement in the process. This is believed to be the first phase, and more illegal Indian immigrants may be deported in the future.
Since assuming office, President Trump has taken a tough stance against illegal immigrants. Previously, illegal immigrants were deported to Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras via military aircraft.
This first phase of deportation of Indian nationals comes at a time when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the United States next week. This will be Modi’s first U.S. visit since Trump’s re-election.
Trump claimed that Prime Minister Modi assured him that India would “do what is right” regarding the return of illegal Indian immigrants. A Bloomberg News report stated that U.S. and Indian authorities have identified over 18,000 Indian immigrants who entered the United States illegally.
Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has stated that India opposes illegal immigration and supports the legal repatriation of its citizens residing abroad illegally.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs emphasized that illegal immigrants are often involved in various organized crimes, and therefore, India does not support such migration.