A U.S. military plane carrying illegal Indian immigrants landed in India's northern city of Amritsar on Wednesday, deporting an unspecified number of people as part of President Donald Trump's immigration agenda.
Some local media reported that the flight was bringing 205 people back, while others put the number at 104, and that they were mainly from the northern state of Punjab, where Amritsar is located, and the western state of Gujarat.
The Trump administration has increasingly turned to the military to help carry out its immigration agenda, using military aircraft to deport migrants and opening military bases to house them.
Although illegal Indian immigrants have been deported home by previous U.S. administrations, it is the first time Washington has used a military aircraft for the purpose. It is also the farthest destination so far for such flights using a military aircraft.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that the C-17 aircraft with migrants on board had departed for India but would not arrive for at least 24 hours. The flight did not show up on public flight trackers but local news TV channels showed the aircraft taxiing after it landed in Amritsar.
Migration has been among the key issues discussed by India and the U.S. since Trump took charge last month, and is also expected to come up during Trump's meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, likely to take place in Washington next week.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also 'emphasised' the Trump administration's desire to work with India to address "concerns related to irregular migration" when he met Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar last month.
New Delhi has since said it will take back such illegal immigrants after verifying their details.
The U.S. is India's largest trading partner and the two countries are forging deeper strategic ties as they look to counter China.
India is also keen to work with the U.S. to make it easier for its citizens to get skilled workers visas.
The Pentagon has said it plans to deport more than 5,000 migrants held by U.S. authorities, and Reuters reported last week that a flight to Guatemala used for the purpose likely cost at least $4,675 per migrant.
U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to make the Strait of Hormuz part of U.S. territory have been mocked by Iran's Deputy Foreign Ministe...
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan all reported blackouts on Friday, which Kazakhstan’...
At least 20 people have been killed after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off eastern Indonesia early on Saturday, ...
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled or rerouted at Catania Airport over the past week as ash from Mount Etna’s ongoing eruption continues to disrupt air travel in Sicily.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
The U.S. will impose unprecedented measures on Iran in order to economically isolate the country, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said.
One person has been killed and six others injured after an explosion at a petroleum storage facility at the Port of Rotterdam, prompting an investigation into the cause.
Record rainfall in Japan killed eight people and stranded thousands of travellers at Tokyo's Narita Airport on Friday, as flooding disrupted transport and cut power to 20,000 homes.
At least 20 people have been killed after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off eastern Indonesia early on Saturday, triggering small tsunami waves and dozens of aftershocks, officials say.
Jason Arday, the former University of Cambridge professor at the centre of a plagiarism row, has been found dead. He was appointed Cambridge's youngest ever Black professor in 2023, but quit on 5 August, after being accused of lifting passages from his PhD from the work of other academics.
Wildfires across England and Wales have reached their highest level on record, according to the National Fire Chiefs Council, as firefighters struggle to contain outbreaks following a spell of extreme heat.
A federal court has allowed the Trump administration to move forward with ending temporary immigration protections for Somali nationals living in the United States, a decision that could leave more than 1,000 people vulnerable to deportation.
Iran and Afghanistan are seeking closer cooperation in agriculture, livestock and irrigation during a three-day Iranian ministerial visit to Kabul, as both sides look to strengthen trade and rural economies.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment