New Delhi: A US military C-17 aircraft is on its way to Amritsar airport in Punjab today to deport 205 illegal Indian immigrants from America as part of the Donald Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigrants in the country which has been raised with New Delhi.
Indian authorities are gearing up to identify and carry out related paperwork on the illegal immigrants before moving onto further process. The aircraft is expected to land at Amritsar’s Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport post afternoon.
While this deportation move from the US has raised eyebrows and grabbed headlines, it is not the first time that a large batch of Indians has been deported from foreign soil.
A look back at recent deportations of Indians
Oct 22, 2024: The US deported a planeload of illegal Indian immigrants as part of its cooperation with India on migration and mobility. Since June 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has conducted over 495 deportation flights to more than 145 countries, with India being one of the primary destinations for repatriation.
Oct 25, 2023: A charter plane grounded in France during a human trafficking investigation departed for India with 276 Indian passengers. Originally bound for Nicaragua, the passengers were held at a rural French airport for four days before being allowed to leave.
According to regional authorities, 276 of the 303 original passengers were sent to Mumbai, while 25 others sought asylum in France.
Oct 18, 2019: Mexico deported over 300 Indian nationals to New Delhi in what was described as an unprecedented transatlantic deportation. The move followed a June agreement between Mexico and the US, in which Mexico pledged to significantly curb US-bound migration to avoid US tariffs on its exports.
