Amritsar: A U.S. deportation flight with 100 Indians has landed in Punjab. The US military aircraft departed from Texas and arrived in Amritsar, where authorities have prepared measures to process the deportees.
Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
Trump has made mass deportation a key policy, with U.S. authorities identifying about 18,000 Indian nationals who allegedly entered illegally. Trump claims that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured him that India would cooperate in accepting deported individuals.
Reception in Punjab
Punjab officials set up special counters to welcome deportees. Journalists have gathered outside police barricades near an Indian Air Force building in Amritsar, eager for updates.
The 104 deportees will be processed separately before departure.
Rising Trend of Deportations
The use of U.S. military aircraft for deportations is increasing. However, the practice of deportation flights to India has been ongoing for years, with numerous charter and commercial flights returning Indian nationals who lack legal grounds to stay in the U.S.
In the U.S. fiscal year 2024, which ended in September, over 1,000 Indian nationals were repatriated on charter and commercial flights.
In October, ICE deported over 100 Indian nationals lacking legal grounds to stay. That flight was also routed to Punjab, reflecting a pattern of removals to states with significant migration histories.
Most deportees are from Punjab and Haryana, regions with a long history of overseas migration. Gujarat, Modi’s home state, is another major source of undocumented migrants.
Steady Increase in Removals
Royce Bernstein Murray, assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, highlighted the rise in removals of Indian nationals.
She noted this trend has increased in recent years. This aligns with a rise in border encounters, where U.S. authorities stop non-citizens trying to enter the country.
Between 2018 and 2023, ICE deported 5,477 Indians, including over 2,300 removals in 2020 alone. The precise count of undocumented Indian immigrants in the U.S. is contested. With various estimates differing significantly due to factors such as differing methodologies, definitions of undocumented status, and the challenges in accurately counting this population. With Pew Research Center estimating 725,000 as of 2022, ranking them third after Mexico and El Salvador. Meanwhile, the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) estimates the figure at 375,000, placing India fifth.
Challenges in Deportation Enforcement
As of November 2024, 1.44 million non-citizens are on ICE’s removal list.
The highest numbers are from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico, each with over 200,000 individuals awaiting deportation. India has 17,940 cases.
Despite U.S. expectations that foreign nations will accept their deported citizens, some countries resist. ICE currently classifies 15 nations, including India, China, Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, as “uncooperative.” These countries either refuse to conduct consular interviews, deny travel documents, or delay acceptance of deported individuals.
India’s Response
India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated India’s firm opposition to illegal migration, citing its links to organized crime. India and the U.S. are working on legal migration pathways while deterring illegal migration.
“At the same time, India must verify the nationality of deportees before accepting them,” Jaiswal added.
Deportation Under Biden and Trump
During former President Biden’s term, 271,000 migrants were deported to 192 countries. Trump has continued the aggressive deportation strategy, reinforcing the use of U.S. military aircraft for repatriations.
As deportations increase, debates over migration policies, human rights, and diplomatic cooperation remain at the forefront of U.S.-India relations.
