US military aircraft departs for India with Indian migrants

A United States military aircraft carrying undocumented Indian migrants has departed for India, a US official confirmed to Reuters. The C-17 aircraft, used for deportation, has left the US but is expected to take at least 24 hours to reach its destination.

The Donald Trump administration has been utilizing the US military to enforce its immigration policies, which include deploying troops at the Mexico border, housing migrants on military bases, and using military planes for deportations. Previously, US military planes have repatriated migrants to countries like Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras, but India marks the farthest destination for such a deportation under Trump's presidency.

A recent deportation flight to Guatemala reportedly cost at least $4,675 per migrant, Reuters reported. On January 24, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reaffirmed its commitment to repatriating Indian nationals residing abroad without proper documentation.

This followed reports that India was working with the US to deport approximately 18,000 undocumented or visa-overstaying Indian nationals. After holding meetings with US officials in Washington on January 22, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated that India was open to the “legitimate return” of undocumented Indian migrants.

He confirmed that the verification process to determine eligible individuals was ongoing, and the exact number of deportees was yet to be established. A Bloomberg report on January 21 highlighted that India had expressed readiness to cooperate with the US in identifying and repatriating its citizens living illegally.

Shortly after, the US government announced its intent to strengthen economic ties with India while addressing concerns over “irregular migration”. Despite Indian nationals making up only about 3 percent of all illegal crossings encountered by US border officials in the 2024 fiscal year, their numbers have been rising sharply, especially along the US-Canada northern border.

According to US Customs and Border Protection data, Indians constituted nearly a quarter of all unauthorized crossings at this entry point -making them the largest group of migrants using this route. A 2022 US Department of Homeland Security report estimated that 220,000 undocumented Indian immigrants were living in the US.

India has previously cooperated with US border enforcement efforts under both the Trump and Biden administrations. In the 12 months leading up to October 2024, more than 1,100 Indian nationals had already been deported.