A U.S. military aircraft carrying scores of undocumented Indian nationals landed in northern India on Wednesday morning, according to a Reuters video.
An estimated 100 undocumented immigrants were onboard, a defense official with direct knowledge of the situation told NBC News.
The flight is among the latest deportation operations that involve the use of military planes. It comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month, giving the military a role in immigration enforcement and border security.
The Embassy of India did not share details on the deportation, but it referred NBC News to comments made last week by Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, during a media briefing. Jaiswal said that the country is “firmly opposed” to illegal migration and will be cooperating with efforts to stem the flow.
“I do want to emphasize that cooperation between India and the U.S. is strong and effective in this domain,” Jaiswal said.
The plane, a C-17 aircraft most commonly used to transport supplies and troops, left earlier this week and landed in the city of Amritsar, in the state of Punjab.
Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, a cabinet minister in Punjab who spoke to reporters at the airport, said he had met with a few young Indian nationals who had been repatriated. Despite being tired after the long journey back, they appeared healthy, he told the media. Dhaliwal also called on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is slated to visit the U.S. next week, to work with Trump to better support those who are facing deportation.
“There is a sword of deportation or jail hanging on the heads of Indians who moved there,” Dhaliwal said, according to The Times of India. “PM Modi, who supported Donald Trump during his election campaign, should now use his friendship to resolve the issue. What is the usefulness of this friendship if it cannot help Indian citizens in need,” he said.
Trump told reporters last week that he had a “productive” call with Modi and that India will “do what’s right” in regard to repatriating undocumented Indian immigrants.
The flight comes after then-acting Secretary of Defense Robert Salesses said in a statement last month that the Defense Department would provide military airlift to support deportation flights for more than 5,000 undocumented immigrants. Since then, several military flights have departed U.S. soil, though some have encountered issues upon landing.
Mexico blocked a U.S. military flight carrying undocumented immigrants in late January. Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro also initially refused to accept two military flights headed for the country. But days later, Colombia agreed to Trump’s terms, the White House said, after the president threatened to impose sweeping retaliatory measures against the country, including tariffs and visa sanctions.
