A U.S. military plane carrying 104 deported Indian illegal immigrants landed in India on Wednesday, authorities said.
The U.S. aircraft that landed in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar, in the northern Indian state of Punjab, returned 104 Indian immigrants, said Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Punjab’s minister for Non-Resident Indian Affairs.
Although illegal Indian immigrants have been deported by previous U.S. administrations, it is the first time Washington has used a military aircraft for the purpose.
It is also the farthest destination so far for such flights using a military aircraft.
Punjab police said 33 immigrants each were from Gujarat, Modi’s home state, and the northern state of Haryana, while 30 were from Punjab. They underwent hours of scrutiny at the airport before police escorted them out in small groups in police vehicles.
Migration has been among the key issues discussed by India and the U.S. since Trump assumed office last month and is also expected to come up during Trump’s talks with Modi.
The Trump administration has increasingly turned to the military to help carry out its immigration agenda, using military aircraft to deport migrants and opening military bases to house them.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also ‘emphasized’ the Trump administration’s desire to work with India to address “concerns related to irregular migration” when he met Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar last month.
New Delhi has since said 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 forging deeper strategic ties as they look to counter China.
India is also keen to work with the U.S. to make it easier for its citizens to get skilled workers visas.
