By soumyaranjanb447 
The Trump administration’s first anti-immigration crackdown occurred when a US military plane carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants touched down in Amritsar. This comes before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to the United States, where he will talk about immigration. If appropriate documentation proving their nationality is presented, India has agreed to assist by repatriating illegal immigrants.
NEW DELHI: The Donald Trump administration’s first crackdown on the nation’s migrants since taking office began Wednesday afternoon when the US military plane carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants touched down in Amritsar. The number of deportees has not yet been officially confirmed.
The flight carried 30 deportees, all of whom were Punjabi citizens. Additionally, according to sources cited by PTI, 33 deportees each from Gujarat and Haryana, three from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh. 205 illegal Indian immigrants were reportedly deported earlier.
At 1:55 p.m., the aircraft touched down at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport under strict Punjab Police security.
As part of the security measure, the police blocked the cargo gate and another entry point at the airport after a meeting between the director of Amritsar Airport, the deputy commissioner, the commissioner of police, and the director of CIF.
An official on Tuesday had confirmed that a C-17 aircraft carrying migrants had departed for India.
This is in advance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day trip to the United States, during which he is also expected to meet and discuss issues with President Trump.
Deportation after Modi-Trump conversation on immigration
PM Modi and Trump had recently held a conversation where they discussed immigration among other matters of global peace and security.
“I spoke with Modi about immigration. Regarding the discussion, Trump had stated, “India will do what is right when it comes to taking back illegal immigrants.”
India had promised the United States that it would help combat illegal immigration by repatriating illegally entered migrants.
Last month, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “We are against illegal immigration, especially because it is linked to several forms of organized crime.”
“If Indian nationals, whether in the United States or elsewhere, are overstaying or in a country without the required paperwork, we will repatriate them as long as they provide us with the necessary documentation so we can confirm their nationality and that they are, in fact, Indians.” We will proceed and make it easier for them to return to India if that turns out to be the case,” he continued.
400% surge in deportations from US
The deportation of Indian nationals from the United States surged by 400% in the past three years, according to the US immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) fiscal year 2024 annual report, released in December last year.
According to the report, there were 1,529 Indians deported in 2024, a considerable increase from 292 in 2021. The US government stepped up its immigration enforcement efforts in 2024, deporting one Indian every six hours.
According to sources cited by Bloomberg last month, both nations have designated about 18,000 illegal Indian migrants for deportation. However, since the exact amount is still unknown, the real figure may be significantly higher.
According to US customs and border protection data, India’s citizens accounted for about 3% of all illegal crossings in fiscal 2024, making up a small portion of the country’s illegal migration to the US.