Migrants Deported to India on U.S. Military Flight

In a historical move, a U.S. military aircraft carrying at least 100 deportees landed in India on Wednesday, marking the first-ever use of military resources for deportations to the South Asian country. This flight, which signifies the Trump administration's ongoing immigration crackdown, comes amid increasing numbers of unauthorized immigrants from India entering the United States. Over the past year, more than 25,000 Indian nationals attempted to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, resulting in more than 1,000 deportations via commercial flights.

While the Indian government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, maintains a cooperative stance with President Trump’s policies, local officials in Punjab expressed concern over the new deportation methods. Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, a minister from Punjab, urged the Indian government to advocate more vigorously against the U.S. deportation practices, emphasizing that most deportees were simply seeking better livelihoods. Dhaliwal plans to welcome deportees at the airport, aiming to ensure they are treated with dignity.

Recent estimates by the Pew Research Center indicate that around 700,000 undocumented Indians currently reside in the U.S., with many more facing imminent deportation. This increase in illegal immigration from India is indicative of broader trends, with Indian migrants now making significant contributions to border crossings from both the southern and northern frontiers. Hamed Aleaziz contributed to the reporting from Washington.

Suhasini Raj, reporting from New Delhi, has been with The Times since 2014 and focuses on various aspects of Indian affairs.