A United States military aircraft carrying more than 100 deported Indian citizens landed at the Amritsar airport on Wednesday afternoon, The Indian Express reported.
The aircraft, which departed from San Antonio, Texas, had initially been scheduled to arrive in the morning.
The deportation is part of a wider crackdown by President Donald Trump’s administration, which has used military aircraft to repatriate undocumented migrants. This is the first military deportation of Indian citizens since Trump returned to office on January 20.
The Union government has not yet confirmed the number of Indians who were on the flight.
However, according to The Indian Express, the persons being deported include 25 women, 12 minors and 79 men. The flight also carried 11 crew members and 45 US officials.
Reuters quoted local media as reporting that the flight was bringing 205 back persons.
Besides Punjab, the deportees are from Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Of these, 33 are from Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three from Maharashtra and two each from Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh, The Indian Express reported.
#WATCH | US Air Force plane carrying Indian citizens who allegedly illegally migrated to USA lands in Punjab’s Amritsar. pic.twitter.com/JmT1xApZKO
— ANI (@ANI) February 5, 2025
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