US deports over 200 Indians by military aircraft

NEW DELHI

A US military aircraft is bringing back more than 200 Indians deported from the US, according to a media report on Tuesday.

Local broadcaster NDTV, citing sources, reported that a US C-17 military aircraft is returning the Indian nationals and that "each deported Indian national is verified, indicating New Delhi's involvement in the deportation process."

"This is likely the first of many such flights that will bring illegal Indian immigrants in the US back," the report said.

The Indian Foreign Ministry has yet to issue a statement on the matter.

Since US President Donald Trump took office, the US has conducted several military flights – to Guatemala, Honduras, and Ecuador – to return illegal immigrants to their respective countries.

The US president has said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured him that India "will do what's right" regarding the deportation of illegal Indian migrants.

Last month, the Indian Foreign Ministry said the South Asian nation "is firmly opposed to illegal migration, especially as it is linked to other forms of organized crime."

"As part of India-US migration and mobility cooperation, both sides are engaged in a process to deter illegal migration, while also creating more avenues for legal migration from India to the US," Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said on Jan. 31.

However, he added that the Indian government "would need to do the required verification, including nationality of the concerned individuals before they are deported to India."