US Military Plane Deporting Illegal Indian Immigrants Lands in Amritsar

US Military Plane Deporting Illegal Indian Immigrants Lands in Amritsar

Amritsar, February 5, 2025: A U.S. military plane carrying illegal Indian immigrants landed in the northern Indian city of Amritsar on Wednesday. According to a Reuters witness, the flight was part of President Donald Trump's immigration policy, bringing back a number of migrants to India.

Some local media reported that the plane carried 205 passengers, while others mentioned the number to be 104, mostly from the northern state of Punjab and the western state of Gujarat. The Trump administration has increasingly utilized the military to implement its immigration policy, using military aircraft to deport migrants and opening military bases to house them.

While previous U.S. administrations have deported illegal Indian immigrants, this is the first time a military aircraft has been used for this purpose. This flight also marks the farthest destination for such deportations using a military aircraft. Reuters reported that the C-17 aircraft had departed with the migrants but arrived in Amritsar at least 24 hours later. The flight did not appear on public flight trackers, but local news channels showed images and videos of the aircraft landing.

Migration has become a significant issue in discussions between India and the U.S. under Trump’s leadership and is expected to be addressed during Trump's meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, likely to take place in Washington next week.