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A US military plane carrying undocumented migrants took off for India on Monday as the Trump administration ramps up efforts to remove illegal immigrants, according to a Reuters report citing an unnamed official. The official, who requested anonymity, confirmed that a C-17 aircraft had left with migrants on board, though it would take more than 24 hours to reach India.
Trump had vowed to carry out the largest deportation in US history. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has already identified around 18,000 undocumented Indian nationals among a total of 1.5 million people facing deportation. However, the exact number of individuals on the flight was not immediately known.
The Pentagon has also started providing flights to deport more than 5,000 immigrants held by U.S. authorities in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California. So far, military aircraft have flown migrants to Guatemala, Peru and Honduras.
According to the Pew Research Center, around 725,000 undocumented Indian immigrants live in the US, making them the third-largest group of illegal migrants after those from Mexico and El Salvador.
Last month, India stated that it has always been willing to accept the lawful return of undocumented Indian nationals. When asked about U.S. deportation plans, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar mentioned that India is verifying who among them can be sent back, but the exact number is still unclear.
Jaishankar emphasized that India has consistently maintained this stance with all countries, including the U.S., and will accept the return of its citizens if their identity is confirmed.
In January, President Trump said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would “do what’s right” regarding the return of Indian immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally. His comments followed a phone conversation between the two leaders, where they discussed various issues.
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