Washington: A US military aircraft carrying illegal migrants has departed for India, news agency Reuters reported on Monday.
The C-17 plane, which left with the migrants onboard, is expected to reach India in at least 24 hours.
President Donald Trump has increasingly relied on the military to support his immigration policies, including deploying additional troops to the US-Mexico border, using military planes for deportations, and opening military bases to house migrants.
Military flights have previously taken migrants to countries like Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras.
The deportation to India marks the first such instance since Trump’s return to the White House.
Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio have raised concerns over illegal immigration from India during discussions with Indian leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
Trump last week said that immigration was part of his talks with PM Modi, stating that India would “do what is right”, in handling the return of “illegal immigrants.”
In response to questions about the deportation, India said that the country has always been open to the legitimate return of undocumented Indian nationals.
Jaishankar clarified that India is in the process of verifying the identities of those potentially eligible for deportation, adding that the exact number of such individuals is still to be determined.
“With every country, including the US, we have always maintained that if our citizens are in any country illegally, and we can confirm their citizenship, we are open to their legitimate return,” Jaishankar said.