A military plane carrying Indian nationals accused of illegally entering the United States arrived in Punjab, northern India, on Wednesday. It was the first such flight to India since the Trump administration launched a crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
According to media reports, the military plane, which landed under tight security, was carrying 104 deportees. Authorities did not confirm the number but said the deportees would be received amicably.
New Delhi, which does not want to make illegal immigration a contentious issue with Washington, has said it is open to repatriating undocumented Indians from the United States if their nationality is verified.
President Donald Trump said last week that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him that his country would “do what is right” to take back the illegal immigrants. The president made the statement after a phone call with Prime Minister Modi.
In New Delhi, foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal told a news conference on Friday that India and the United States are engaged in a process to curb illegal immigration and “that the cooperation in this area between India and the United States is strong and effective. That will be evident in the period ahead,” he said.
In a meeting that could be held next week between Mr. Trump and Mr. Modi, trade and immigration are among the main issues expected to be discussed.
“India does not want to focus on the issue of deporting illegal immigrants. The government’s interest is to ensure that legal immigration channels to the United States for Indian citizens are not restricted by the Trump administration,” said Manoj Joshi, a fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.
These legal channels are the H-1B visas for skilled workers and student visas.
“Both sides are committed to curbing illegal immigration while also creating more opportunities for legal immigration of Indian citizens to the United States,” said Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs.
The number of Indian immigrants trying to enter the United States illegally has increased in recent years. India is the largest source of illegal immigrants to the United States from Asian countries, according to data from the US Customs and Border Protection.
However, their overall numbers are still small. Indians account for only about 3 percent of illegal crossings.
The United States has identified about 18,000 undocumented Indian immigrants who will be returned home, according to a report by the Bloomberg agency last week.
