Trump administration starts deporting Indian migrants
What's the story
In a major escalation of President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement, the United States has begun deporting Indian migrants on a C-17 military aircraft, a US official told Reuters.
It is unclear how many passengers the plane is transporting.
An anonymous source told the news agency that the flight had departed but would take at least 24 hours to reach an undisclosed destination in India.
Policy shift
Deportation marks 1st since Trump's return to office
Notably, this is the first deportation of Indian migrants since President Trump returned to the White House.
Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have both previously raised concerns over illegal immigration from India during talks with Indian leaders.
During a conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trump had said he believed India would do "what is right" in terms of taking back its illegal immigrants.
National policy
India's stance on illegal immigration and deportations
India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had also raised the issue of "irregular immigration" with Rubio, reiterating India's strong opposition to illegal immigration due to its connection with other illegal activities.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarified that India is ready to take back its citizens if their nationality can be established.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal connected illegal immigration to organized crime and assured India would take back nationals overstaying abroad if proper documents were provided.
Deportation trends
Increase in deportations and costs involved
Between October 2023 and September 2024, more than 1,100 illegal Indian immigrants were deported from the US, HT reported.
But Royce Murray of the Department of Homeland Security said he has observed a "steady increase" in such deportations lately.
The Pentagon has flown over 5,000 immigrants from El Paso and San Diego to countries such as Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras, since last week.
According to Reuters, the military deportation trip to Guatemala cost at least $4,675 per person.