US Begins Deporting Illegal Indian Immigrants As Trump Intensifies Crackdown

A US military aircraft has begun deporting Indian migrants, in line with US President Donald Trump's stringent approach towards an estimated 11 million undocumented migrants in the United States, according to news agency Reuters.

An official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, stated that the C-17 aircraft had departed for India and would not arrive for at least 24 hours.

Photo Credit: AP/PTI

India is the most distant destination for US military deportation flights, with the Pentagon confirming plans to deport over 5,000 migrants from El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California.

Thus far, military aircraft have transported migrants to Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras.

Trump initiated military deportation flights last week as part of his emergency declaration on immigration, having already sent six aircraft carrying migrants to Latin America.

However, only four of these flights landed-all in Guatemala-after Colombia refused to grant landing permission for two US C-17 cargo aircraft. Instead, Colombia dispatched its own planes to collect the migrants following a standoff with Trump.

"For the first time in history, we are locating and loading illegal aliens into military aircraft and flying them back to the places from which they came," Trump told reporters last month.

Following a conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the US President stated that the latter "will do what's right" in accepting the return of illegal Indian immigrants from America.

Bloomberg News reported that the US and India had identified approximately 18,000 Indian migrants who are unlawfully residing in the country. Indians constitute a big chunk of recipients of the H-1B skilled worker visa issued by the United States.

The deportations and tightened border controls follow Trump's pledge on his first day in office to expel "millions and millions" of migrants while declaring a national emergency at the southern border.

Within days of assuming office, the US Congress passed legislation mandating the detention and deportation of undocumented migrants who enter the country without authorisation and are charged with specific crimes.

Even during his election campaign, Trump asserted, "When I am reelected, we will begin the largest deportation operation in American history."

Trump has frequently utilised the military to enforce his immigration policies. He has deployed troops to the US-Mexico border, used military bases to accommodate migrants, and now employs military aircraft for deportations.

However, Reuters reported that a military deportation flight to Guatemala last week was estimated to cost at least $4,675 per migrant-more than five times the $853 price of a one-way first-class ticket on American Airlines from El Paso, Texas, according to news agency AFP.

This amount is also significantly higher than the expense of a commercial charter flight operated by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).