A US military plane carrying around 100 Indian nationals who entered the US illegally landed in Punjab. The deportation flight, which left Texas on Tuesday, arrived in Amritsar. Local authorities are ready to process the deportees, with special measures in place to handle the repatriation process.

President Donald Trump has made the deportation of undocumented migrants a top priority. The US says it has identified 18,000 Indian nationals who entered the US illegally. Trump claims that India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to “do what’s right” in accepting the deportations.

Punjab authorities have set up special counters to welcome the deportees and assure them that they will be treated kindly. The 104 deportees will be processed separately and then sent by bus to their home states, including Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat.

Trump is increasingly using US military planes for deportations, but flights to India are not new. In 2024 alone, more than 1,000 Indian nationals were sent back on charter and commercial flights.

In October, over 100 Indian nationals were deported to Punjab. This is part of a growing trend in deportations to India, as many undocumented migrants come from Punjab and nearby areas. Gujarat, the home state of Modi, is another common origin.

“The increase in deportations shows a rise in encounters with Indian nationals trying to cross the US borders illegally,” said Royce Bernstein Murray, an official at the US Department of Homeland Security.

Between 2018 and 2023, ICE deported 5,477 Indians. The highest number—more than 2,300—was in 2020.

The number of undocumented Indians in the US is disputed. Pew Research estimates that 725,000 people are undocumented, making Indians the third-largest group after Mexico and El Salvador. However, the Migration Policy Institute suggests there are 375,000 Indians, ranking them fifth.

In November, 1.44 million non-citizens were waiting to be deported in the US, with India having 17,940 cases. Countries like Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico have even higher numbers of people facing deportation.

ICE faces challenges in getting other countries to accept deportees. China, India, Iran, Russia, and Venezuela are considered “uncooperative,” often delaying deportation or refusing to issue necessary documents.

India’s foreign ministry said the country is “strongly opposed to illegal migration” and is working with the US to stop it. They also stress the importance of verifying the nationality of those being deported.

While deportations are controversial, the numbers continue to rise, with many facing uncertain futures as they return to their home countries.