Washington D.C: A US military C-17 aircraft has departed carrying Indian migrants marked for deportation, marking the first such operation to India since Donald Trump's return to the White House. According to a US official speaking to Reuters, the flight is expected to take over 24 hours to reach its destination.
The Trump administration has expanded its immigration enforcement efforts, utilizing military resources including additional troops at the US-Mexico border, military aircraft for deportations, and military bases for migrant housing. While previous deportation flights have targeted countries like Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras, India represents the farthest destination in the current administration's deportation operations.
The move follows recent discussions between US and Indian leadership. President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have specifically addressed concerns about illegal immigration from India in their conversations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar respectively. During these talks, Trump indicated that India would "do what is right" regarding the acceptance of deported individuals.
The White House characterized recent communications between Trump and Modi as "productive," noting their discussion of ways to "expand and deepen" bilateral cooperation between the two nations.
