A U.S. military aircraft recently landed in Amritsar, Punjab, carrying over 100 Indian illegal immigrants. This flight is the farthest destination for deported migrants under the Trump administration’s use of military transport planes to send illegal immigrants back to their home countries. The C-17 Globemaster aircraft reportedly took off from San Antonio, Texas. The majority of the deported individuals are from Punjab or Gujarat and are now being returned to India. President Donald Trump has increasingly relied on the U.S. military to enforce his immigration agenda, which includes using military flights to deport people who have entered the country illegally.
The Pentagon has already begun deporting over 5,000 individuals detained by U.S. authorities in Texas and California. Military flights have taken migrants to countries like Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras. Additionally, the Trump administration has deployed more soldiers to Mexico. U.S. authorities have also started transporting detained migrants to Guantanamo Bay military base, a controversial detention facility known for holding terrorism suspects but also used for migrants in the past. President Trump recently ordered the creation of a 30,000-person migrant facility in response to the rising number of deportations.
This event represents a significant development. In a live broadcast, WION correspondent Sidhan provided updates on the deportees’ legal status and how the Indian government is reacting. The visuals show the U.S. military plane arriving in Amritsar, Punjab, signaling a major step in Trump’s aggressive stance on illegal immigration. While India is the furthest country involved, other nations, particularly in South America, are also seeing similar deportation flights.
The deported migrants came from states like Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. It is known that these individuals entered the U.S. illegally, contributing to the ongoing issue that has implications for diplomatic relations between India and the U.S. On January 24, Indian Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, D.C., where illegal immigration was discussed. India made it clear that it does not support illegal immigration and only endorses legal migration, a stance shared with the U.S.
This issue remains a topic of focus, especially as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit the U.S. in the coming days. He is expected to meet President Donald Trump on February 13, becoming the fourth world leader to meet with the new U.S. president. The upcoming discussions are likely to include immigration, along with other significant matters such as defense, security, the Indo-Pacific region, and trade.
The timing of this development, just days before Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the U.S., indicates that illegal immigration will be an important point of conversation. Both India and the U.S. have emphasized the need to address this issue swiftly, with a continued commitment to supporting legal immigration.
