US sends back illegal Indian migrants in military aircraft  

Last month, the Ministry of External Affairs said India is opposed to illegal immigration and would be ready to take back Indians staying illegally in the US provided their nationality is verified

New Delhi: The United States is rigorously tightening immigration laws, the American embassy said on Tuesday amid reports that a US military aircraft is bringing some illegal migrants to India.

The first round of deportation of illegal Indian nationals from the US comes around two weeks after Donald Trump became the US President for a second term. A US military C-17 aircraft will be bringing back these Indian migrants.

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Trump has promised a strict policy approach in dealing with illegal immigrants residing in the US and already signed a number of immigration-related executive orders.

Asked about the deportation flight bringing back a group of illegal migrants to India, a US embassy spokesperson did not provide details, but asserted that Washington is removing illegal migrants. “I can’t share any details on those inquires, but I can share, on the record, the United States is vigorously enforcing its border, tightening immigration laws, and removing illegal migrants,” the official said.

“These actions send a clear message: illegal migration is not worth the risk,|” he added.

Following his phone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 27, Trump said India “will do what is right” on the deportation of illegal migrants from the US.

Last month, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it is opposed to illegal immigration and would be ready to take back Indians staying illegally in the US provided their nationality is verified.

India is opposed to illegal immigration because of its links to several forms of organised crime, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on January 24.

“We will take them back provided documents are shared with us so that we can verify their nationality, that they are indeed Indians,” he said. At the same time, Jaiswal said it would be “premature” to talk about the number of illegal Indian immigrants staying in the US.

As per media reports, the two countries have together identified some 18,000 illegal Indian migrants in the US to be sent back home.

India is a modest contributor of illegal migrants to the US, with its citizens accounting for about 3 per cent of all unlawful crossings encountered by US border patrol officials in 2024, according to US Customs and Border Protection data. Latin American countries such as Mexico, Venezuela and Guatemala account for a far larger share.

Meanwhile, several businesses from day cares to grocery stores and hair salons remain closed on Monday across the US in a loosely organised day of protest against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

But participation in the “day without immigrants” faced headwinds from employees and business owners who said they need the income — especially as rumors of widespread raids, often false, are leaving many migrant communities afraid to venture outside, affecting even some schools.