US military plane heads to India with deported migrants

A US military C-17 aircraft carrying 205 deported migrants has departed for India and is expected to arrive at Amritsar aiport after more than 24 hours, on Monday as per reports.

Under President Donald Trump’s administration, the US military has been proactively enforcing immigration. This includes deploying additional troops to the US-Mexico border, using military aircraft for deportation, and housing migrants at military bases.

Deportation flights have previously transported individuals to countries such as  Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras. However, this marks the first flight bound for India since Trump’s return to office, making it the longest-distance deportation operation so far.

Reports indicate that the US and India have identified 18,000 illegal Indian migrants for deportation, though the actual figure could be higher as the total remains unclear.

President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have reportedly expressed concerns about illegal immigration from India during discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Trump emphasised that India is expected to assist in taking back its deported nationals.

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