Amritsar: A US military C-17 aircraft carrying over 100 undocumented Indian migrants landed at Sri Guru Ram Das Ji International Airport in Amritsar, Punjab, marking a significant development in the ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to enforce stricter immigration policies. The deported migrants, hailing from Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and other parts of India, were sent back after entering the United States illegally.
Among those deported were 79 men, 25 women, and 13 children, according to a report by India Today. The migrants, many of whom had entered the US through illegal routes such as the so-called “donkey routes,” had spent large sums of money to illegally immigrate, only to now face deportation.
The aircraft took off from Texas on Monday night (local time), carrying the first batch of deportees under the latest wave of strict immigration measures introduced by US President Donald Trump. Trump’s administration has pledged to carry out the largest deportation operation in US history, with an estimated 11 million undocumented migrants targeted for removal.
In a move that has sparked political debate, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to tackling illegal immigration during his election campaign and emphasized his desire to deport undocumented migrants from the US. After his election victory, he spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who assured the US President that India would take back its illegal nationals.
Reports indicate that around 18,000 undocumented Indian migrants are currently residing in the US, and the Trump administration is working to identify and deport them. According to Bloomberg News, the US has already deported several groups of migrants to countries in Latin America, with plans to extend the operation to include migrants from major border towns like El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California.
As part of his emergency immigration declaration, Trump’s administration has already launched deportation flights from military bases, with several planeloads of migrants sent back to their home countries. The latest deportation flight, with Indian nationals, serves as part of a broader campaign to crack down on illegal immigration and return foreign nationals residing in the US without proper documentation.
