First US military deportation flight to India under Trump’s immigration crackdown

C-17 aircraft carrying illegal Indian migrants departs for India as US intensifies deportations; Jaishankar says verification process underway.

A United States military aircraft carrying illegal Indian migrants has departed for India, marking the first such deportation under President Donald Trump’s renewed immigration policies, according to a Reuters report on Monday.

The C-17 military plane, which took off with undocumented Indian nationals, is expected to reach India within 24 hours as part of the Trump administration’s intensified crackdown on illegal immigration.

Trump’s Mass Deportation Plan Targets Indian Nationals

The deportation comes as Trump fulfills his pledge to conduct the largest removal of illegal immigrants in US history. According to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an initial list of 18,000 undocumented Indian nationals has been compiled among the 1.5 million individuals targeted for deportation.

However, it remains unclear how many Indian nationals were aboard the departing flight.

With approximately 725,000 illegal immigrants from India residing in the United States, India ranks as the third-largest unauthorized immigrant population, following Mexico and El Salvador, according to Pew Research Center data.

India’s Response: Jaishankar Confirms Verification Process

The Indian government has acknowledged the deportation, maintaining that it has always been open to the legitimate return of undocumented Indian nationals.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated that India is in the process of verifying the identities of those being deported.

"With every country, including the US, we have always maintained that if our citizens are in any country illegally, and we can confirm their citizenship, we are open to their legitimate return to India," he said.

The exact number of Indians eligible for deportation is still being determined, Jaishankar added.

Trump’s Immigration Policy & India’s Role

President Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio have repeatedly discussed illegal immigration from India with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jaishankar in recent diplomatic exchanges.

In January, Trump stated that PM Modi "will do what’s right" regarding the return of Indian immigrants who entered the US illegally.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has begun facilitating deportation flights, moving over 5,000 immigrants held in detention centers in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California. Military aircraft have already flown deportees to countries like Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras.

This first military deportation flight to India signifies a major shift in US-India immigration policies, with further removals expected in the coming months.