A total of 205 Indian nationals, who had entered the United States through illegal means, were deported on a U.S. military aircraft that took off from Texas about six hours ago. Sources say that each deportee has been verified, reflecting New Delhi’s active participation in the deportation process. This is likely to be the first of several flights to repatriate illegal Indian immigrants from the U.S.
The removal was made on a C-17 military aircraft, which is specially designed to handle large numbers of passengers. Amazingly, this jet has only one toilet for its 205 passengers unless it has been fitted with an air-transportable galley.
The operation is part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s strict policy against illegal immigration. Until now, there have been incidents when U.S. military planes were used to deport illegal immigrants to Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras.
The deportation of undocumented Indian nationals occurs when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the U.S. next week, marking his first trip since Trump assumed the presidency for a second term. External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has said New Delhi is open to the “legitimate return” of Indian nationals living illegally abroad, including in the U.S.
Trump said, “For the first time in history, we are finding and loading illegal aliens into military aircraft and flying them back to the places from whence they came.” He said Modi had told him that India would “do what’s right” on the return of illegal Indian immigrants. India and the U.S. have identified about 18,000 illegal Indian migrants, a Bloomberg report said.
The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday said the government was opposed to “illegal immigration”, as it is associated with criminal activities such as narco-trafficking and gunrunning. To a question, Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Government of India remained committed to enabling the return of Indian nationals staying in a foreign country either beyond their authorized stay or with improper documentation. “If they are Indian nationals and their documentation is verified, we will take things forward to facilitate their return to India,” he added.
A U.S. Embassy spokesperson in New Delhi confirmed that the U.S. was “aggressively implementing its border, intensifying its laws relating to immigration and repatriating undocumented immigrants.” The spokesperson further added, “These efforts send a clear message: illegal migration is not worth the risk.”
