The first batch of 205 Indian nationals, mostly from Punjab and neighboring states deported from the United States, are expected to land at Amritsar’s Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport on Wednesday morning.
As per the information from the US Embassy the deportees are being flown on a US military aircraft, the C-17 Globemaster.
This is the first time the US is using a military plane to deport illegal migrants to India. In the past, deportations were carried out on commercial flights. The current batch of deportees left the US on Monday on a C-17 aircraft from San Antonio and likely to land in Amritsar around 9am on Wednesday.
Each individual on board has been verified as an Indian national by Indian authorities before being deported, officials confirmed. However, the US Embassy in New Delhi declined to comment on the specific deportation but reaffirmed the US government’s tough stance on illegal migration.
According to the spokesperson of the US Embassy the United States is “vigorously” enforcing its border, tightening immigration laws, and removing illegal migrants. These actions send a clear message: illegal migration is not worth the risk.
The operation is a part of the newly formed Trump administration, which has intensified its crackdown on undocumented immigrants. In November 2024, the US shared a list of 18,000 illegal Indian migrants identified for deportation, part of a broader plan to deport 1.5 million individuals from various countries.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has already deported migrants to countries like Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras using military aircraft.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has clarified that India does not support illegal migration.
The move has come a severe jolt to thousands of youths from Punjab and Haryana who had illegally migrated to US in the past couple of years.
As per the reports with an estimated 725,000 illegal Indian immigrants living in the US, and majority of them are from Haryana and Punjab.
According to reports, Trump initiated military deportation flights last week as part of his emergency declaration on immigration, sending six planeloads of migrants to Latin American countries so far.
