The C-17 military aircraft carried 112 Indian nationals expelled amid Trump’s crackdown on immigration
Migrants from India walk along the border wall to turn themselves over to U.S Border Patrol agents along the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday, May 11, 2023 in San Luis Colorado, Sonora. © Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images A US aircraft carrying a third batch of Indian nationals deported from the US landed in Amritsar, Punjab in northern India on Sunday. It comes days after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Washington to meet with US President Donald Trump, who has promised millions of deportations in his second term. The flight had approximately 112 individuals on board, according to local media reports, with the majority hailing from the northern state of Haryana. While 44 of the deportees were from Haryana, 33 were from Gujarat (Modi’s home state), and 31 were from Punjab. The remainder were from other states. The deportees will be allowed to return to their homes after completing all necessary procedures, including immigration processing, verification, and background checks, sources told NDTV. The first US military C-17 transport aircraft carrying 104 Indians landed in Amritsar on February 5. A second plane landed on Saturday. #WATCH | People from Gujarat, who were a part of the third batch of illegal Indian immigrants that arrived from the US yesterday, arrive in Ahmedabad. pic.twitter.com/t2Z79A2qAe — ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2025 A video released by the US authorities after the first plane left showed people being held in handcuffs and leg restraints, sparking widespread outrage in India. In response, the Indian government stated that it was engaging with Washington to ensure that the deportees are not subjected to any mistreatment.
Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar stated in the Indian parliament that the deportations have been an ongoing process for several years, emphasizing that the latest round followed the same procedures as in the past, with no deviations from established protocols. The US embassy has commented that it is “the policy of the United States to faithfully execute the immigration laws against all inadmissible and removable aliens.” The issue of illegal migration from India to the US was raised by Trump in his telephone conversation with Modi in January, and reportedly figured in last week’s talks. A joint statement said the leaders agreed to address concerns related to illegal immigration and human trafficking “through co-operative efforts.” Modi told the White House press that India is willing to take back its nationals if they are illegally in the US and mentioned a need to halt the “ecosystem” of human trafficking.
