Amidst reports that a US military aircraft is bringing 205 illegal Indian migrants back to country, most likely Amritsar, US said on Tuesday it is rigorously tightening immigration laws. Its embassy also said, “These actions send a clear message: illegal migration is not worth the risk.”
Asked about the deportation flight bringing back a group of illegal migrants to India, a US embassy spokesperson here did not provide details, but asserted that Washington is removing illegal migrants.
“I can’t share any details on those inquires, but I can share, on the record, the United States is vigorously enforcing its border, tightening immigration laws, and removing illegal migrants,” the official said. “These actions send a clear message: illegal migration is not worth the risk,” he added. Incidentally, this action comes days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s likely visit to the US next week.
A C-17 aircraft carrying 205 Indian nationals departed from San Antonio, Texas around 3 am IST, sources said. The plane, headed to Punjab’s Amritsar, is likely to stop at Ramstein, Germany, for refuelling, they said, adding each one was verified before being sent back.
This deportation is likely the first of several planned flights, as more batches of illegal Indian immigrants are expected to be flown back in the coming weeks.
The first round of deportation of illegal Indian nationals from the US comes around two weeks after Donald Trump became the US president for a second term. Trump has promised a strict policy approach in dealing with illegal immigrants residing in the US and already signed a number of immigration-related executive orders.
Following his phone conversation with Prime Minister Modi on January 27, Trump said India “will do what is right” on the deportation of illegal migrants from the US.
Last month, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it is opposed to illegal immigration and would be ready to take back Indians staying illegally in the US provided their nationality is verified.
India is opposed to illegal immigration because of its links to several forms of organised crime, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on January 24.
“We will take them back provided documents are shared with us so that we can verify their nationality, that they are indeed Indians,” he said. At the same time, Jaiswal said it would be “premature” to talk about the number of illegal Indian immigrants staying in the US.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said India was verifying who from the US can be deported to India, and the number of such individuals cannot yet be determined.
“With every country, and the US is no exception, we have always maintained that if any of our citizens are there illegally, and if we are sure that they are our citizens, we have always been open to their legitimate return to India,” Jaishankar said.
Approximately 725,000 illegal immigrants from India live in the US, making it the third-largest population of unauthorised immigrants after Mexico and El Salvador, according to data from the Pew Research Centre.
“When I am reelected, we will begin the largest deportation operation in American history,” Trump had said during his campaign trail.
This large-scale deportation underscores the U.S. government’s firm stance on border enforcement and is expected to impact thousands of Indian nationals residing illegally in the country.
Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric was key to his campaign in the run-up to the US elections in 2024. When he took office in January, he reiterated that all illegal immigrants will be sent back.
“All illegal entry will be immediately halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of illegal aliens back to the places from which they came,” Trump said during his inauguration speech.
The Trump administration has also shut down the CBP One mobile application under the Customs and Border Patrol agency that allowed migrants to schedule appointments at border entry points.
Trump also ended birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented immigrants, and has dismantled refugee programs.
On January 29, Trump announced that they would build a migrant detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, infamous for housing terrorism suspects after the 9/11 terror attack. The facility is expected to house as many as 30,000 migrants. The US military has also offered to use the Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado to detain migrants.
Last week, House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson warned that the US Congress was willing to pass sanctions on countries which refuse to cooperate with the Trump administration’s order on deportation of undocumented immigrants.
When Colombia refused to let the military plane land, Trump retaliated with 25 per cent tariffs on all Colombian goods. Colombia promptly sent its planes to bring back deportees, preventing a trade war with its largest trading partner.
On Saturday, Trump announced 25 per cent tariffs on his top trading partners and neighbours, Canada and Mexico, over the flow of illegal migrants and drugs across borders.
