As per the news reported by Reuters, a United States military flight took off for India on Monday, carrying illegal migrants, as part of the Donald Trump administration's intensified efforts to tackle illegal immigration. A government official, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that a US military C-17 aircraft had taken off for India carrying migrants. Still, the flight would take at least 24 hours to arrive.

Donald Trump had vowed to execute the most significant mass deportation in U.S. history, and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has prepared an initial list of nearly 18,000 undocumented Indian nationals as part of a broader plan to remove 1.5 million individuals. However, the exact number of Indians on the recently departed flight remains unclear.

As per data from the Pew Research Centre, approximately 725,000 Indian nationals are living in the U.S. without legal documentation, making them the third-largest group of unauthorised immigrants after those from Mexico and El Salvador.

Last month, New Delhi reaffirmed its stance on the repatriation of undocumented Indian nationals, stating that India has consistently been open to their legitimate return. When questioned about the deportation plans from the United States, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar explained that the Indian government was in the process of verifying which individuals could be sent back. However, he noted that the exact number of those eligible for deportation had not yet been determined.

"With every country, and the US is no exception, we have always maintained that if any of our citizens are there illegally, and if we are sure that they are our citizens, we have always been open to their legitimate return to India," S. Jaishankar stated.

President Trump expressed confidence in Prime Minister Modi's willingness to cooperate on the issue of illegal Indian immigrants in the US. This came after a phone call where the two leaders discussed various topics, including this issue, with Trump quoting Modi will "do what's right".

The Pentagon has begun aiding in the deportation of over 5,000 immigrants being held in El Paso, Texas and San Diego, California, by providing flights. So far, these military flights have transported migrants to Guatemala, Peru and Honduras.