A US military plane carrying 104 Indian nationals, including 13 children, landed in Amritsar on Wednesday as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants. This marks the first time Indian illegal immigrants have been deported since Trump launched his aggressive immigration policy on his first day in office on January 20.

The C-17 aircraft, which took off from San Antonio, Texas, touched down at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport at 1:59 pm. The deportees, 79 men and 25 women, were greeted by local police and civil authorities upon arrival, with a representative from the US Embassy also present.

The 104 deportees hailed from several Indian states, including 33 from Haryana, 33 from Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three from Maharashtra, three from Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh. Many of the individuals were reportedly detained at the US-Mexico border while attempting to enter the United States through the illegal "donkey" route.

Although these individuals may have used legal means to leave India, they were caught attempting to enter the US unlawfully. They are not considered offenders in India and have not violated any Indian laws. In cases where their passports were unavailable, biometrics could be used for identification.

Initially, reports suggested that approximately 200 Indians were on the plane, but this was later corrected to 104. Following their arrival, Punjab's NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal reassured the public that the deportees were safe and well-fed upon landing.

Minister Dhaliwal has urged the Indian government to address the matter, calling for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the issue with US President Trump. Dhaliwal emphasized that many of these individuals had contributed to the US economy and should have been granted permanent residency rather than facing deportation. He also stated that many had entered the US legally but became undocumented due to expired work permits.

Shashi Kant, former Director General of Police (DGP) of Punjab, criticized the deportation, describing it as a "shrewd political move" by the US government.

Trump's pledge to carry out the largest deportation in US history has already led to significant actions. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has compiled a list of nearly 18,000 Indian nationals, part of a broader list of 1.5 million people slated for deportation. India has one of the largest populations of unauthorized immigrants in the US, with an estimated 725,000 individuals living there illegally, according to Pew Research Center data.

The US Pentagon is also involved, providing flights to deport over 5,000 immigrants from detention centers in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California. In addition, military aircraft have been used to deport migrants to countries like Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras.