AMRITSAR, India (Reuters) – A U.S. military plane carrying Indian immigrants who were in the U.S. illegally landed in the northern Indian city of Amritsar on Wednesday, a Reuters witness said. The plane deported an unspecified number of people as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.
Some local media outlets reported that the flight brought back 205 people, while others reported the number as 104. The majority of those deported were from the northern state of Punjab, where Amritsar is located, as well as the western state of Gujarat.
The Trump administration has increasingly relied on the military to help carry out its immigration agenda, including using military aircraft to deport migrants and opening military bases to house them.
While previous U.S. administrations had deported illegal Indian immigrants, this is the first time that Washington has used a military aircraft for such deportations. It is also the farthest destination for such flights using a military aircraft.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that the C-17 aircraft carrying migrants had departed for India, but would not arrive for at least 24 hours. The flight did not appear on public flight trackers, but local news TV channels showed the aircraft taxiing after it landed in Amritsar.
Migration has been a key issue in discussions between India and the U.S. since Trump took office last month, and is expected to be raised during Trump’s meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is likely to take place in Washington next week.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also emphasized the Trump administration’s desire to collaborate with India on addressing “concerns related to irregular migration” when he met Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar last month.
New Delhi has since stated that it will take back such illegal immigrants after verifying their details. The U.S. is India’s largest trading partner, and the two countries are strengthening strategic ties as they work to counter China. India is also keen to collaborate with the U.S. to facilitate easier access to skilled worker visas for its citizens.
The Pentagon has stated its plan to deport more than 5,000 migrants currently held by U.S. authorities. Reuters reported last week that a flight to Guatemala used for deportation likely cost at least $4,675 per migrant.
