New Delhi: A US military plane is en route to India with deported illegal migrants, marking the first such flight outside the Americas under the Trump administration, even as reports suggest that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Washington next week.
Reuters, citing an unnamed US official, reported early Tuesday that a C-17 aircraft had departed for India with migrants but would not arrive for at least 24 hours.
While the military planes are part of Trump’s messaging on illegal immigration, dozens of non-military deportation flights left for countries in Central and South America at the same time.
The US has previously used chartered planes for deportation flights to India – a standard method of deportation, as it is seen as a civilian process. Using military planes can raise diplomatic concerns and is often criticised by rights groups for undermining the fundamental rights of the detainees.
There has been no response from the Indian government so far. The US embassy provided no details, but a spokesperson stated that the United States is “vigorously enforcing its border, tightening immigration laws, and removing illegal migrants.” The spokesperson added, “These actions send a clear message: illegal migration is not worth the risk”.
Until now, US military planes have deported illegal migrants to Guatemala, Peru and Honduras.
As of last week, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said it was “premature” to discuss how many Indian illegal migrants would be accepted, as proper verification of their nationality was required.
At the weekly media briefing on January 31, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated that India opposed illegal migration and was “keen to continue” efforts to address the issue.
“At the same time, the Government of India would need to do the required verification, including nationality of the concerned individuals before they are deported to India. Any talk of numbers; you’ve seen there’s a lot of talk about numbers, any talk of numbers at this stage is premature, but I do want to emphasise that cooperation between India and the US is strong and effective in this domain. This will be evident in times to come,” Jaiswal said.
The issue of illegal migration was raised by the US during the first bilateral interaction after the inauguration last month, when Indian foreign minister S. Jaishankar met with the new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
While the US State Department readout noted that the issue had been discussed, the MEA remained silent until Jaishankar acknowledged it at a press conference a day later. He stated that they had discussed the “mobility of people” and reiterated that India was willing to take back its nationals illegally residing abroad, including in the US, as part of its long-standing policy, provided their Indian nationality was verified.
No clarity on the number of deportees
Despite US government data indicating that over 20,000 Indians could potentially be deported, both Jaishankar and the MEA had even then cautioned against accepting such figures as definitive, stressing that the actual number would depend on a thorough verification of nationality.
ICE stated late last year that 17,940 Indians in the US, though not in its custody, had been issued final removal orders, while 2,647 Indian nationals were detained as part of its enforcement and removal operations in the 2024 fiscal year.
A Pew Research report said there were over 700,000 undocumented Indians living in the US as of 2022, the third largest population of illegal migrants after Mexico and El Salvador.
When President Trump spoke with Prime Minister Modi last week, the official readouts did not mention the issue, but the US leader later told reporters that it was discussed and that India would do “what is right when it comes to taking back illegal immigrants”.
Indian officials noted that during Trump’s first administration, India had accepted deportation flights almost every month, though they were rarely publicised.
This practice continued under the Biden administration as well. According to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), 1,529 Indians were removed in 2024. Last September, a charter flight carrying Indian deportees landed in northwestern India with assistance from New Delhi.
But, the announcement of the flight by ICE was made only three days after it had landed in India. Also, as the press release makes it clear, it took place through chartered flights and not on military planes.
Use of military planes ‘disrespectful’
Colombian President Gustavo Petro initially refused to allow deportation flights under the Trump administration, arguing that military flights violated protocol and that handcuffing migrants treated them as criminals, undermining their dignity. However, he was forced to relent after Trump threatened retaliatory tariffs.
Last week Mexico denied a US military plane, carrying 80 migrants, access to land, heightening the growing tensions between the two neighbouring countries. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government has said that it opposes Trump taking “unilateral” action to implement restrictive immigration standards, NBC news reported.
Brazil also demanded an explanation from the Trump administration over the “disrespect for the fundamental rights” of 88 undocumented Brazilian migrants deported from the US in handcuffs.
Following this, Brazil announced the creation of a working group to facilitate information exchange and improve the coordination of return flights for undocumented Brazilians in the US, with the goal of ensuring “safety and the dignified and respectful treatment of passengers.”
Modi’s US visit
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi is reportedly set to visit Washington next week for a meeting with President Donald Trump.
While no official announcement has been made, sources suggest he will travel to the US after attending the Artificial Intelligence Summit in France. He is expected to arrive in Washington on February 12, with the meeting scheduled for February 13.
Following his January 27 phone call with Modi, Trump told the media that the Indian leader would visit him in February.
The date of the visit was first reported by Hindustan Times.
Modi will be among the first foreign leaders to visit Washington after the inauguration. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who arrived in the US capital on Sunday afternoon, was the first to meet Trump since he took office last month.