Amritsar: The US military plane transporting 205 illegal immigrants to India has landed in Amritsar, NDTV reported.
The C-17 military aircraft could be first of several such flights to travel to India transporting illegal Indian immigrants in the US.
It is reported confirming India’s involvement in the process that each deported Indian onboard the light is ‘verified’.
Deportation of immigrants is part of President Trump’s broader crackdown on illegal immigrants in the US.
US military aircraft have earlier deported undocumented immigrants to Guatemala, Peru and Honduras.
The first deportation flight to India arrives ahead of PM Modi’s reported trip to the US next week, his first after Trump took over as US President for the second time.
Earlier the President Trump claimed that PM Modi had assured him that India would ‘do what’s right’ regarding illegal Indian immigrants.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg News reported that India and the US identified some 18,000 Indian migrants in the country.
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar reportedly said that India is open to ‘legitimate return’ of illegal immigrants to the country.
Lauding his plans Trump last month said: ‘For the first time in history, we are locating and loading illegal aliens into military aircraft and flying them back to the places from which they came.’
Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a press briefing that India will take back Indian nationals overstaying without proper documentation not just in the United States but anywhere in the world.
‘For Indians not just in the United States, but anywhere in the world, if they are Indian nationals and they are overstaying, or they are in a particular country without proper documentation, we will take them back, provided documents are shared with us so that we can verify their nationality and that they are indeed Indians. If that happens to be the case, we will take things forward and facilitate their return to India,’ Randhir Jaiswal was quoted as saying.