Washington sends first group of Indian migrants with US military plane to home country

A U.S. military plane carrying a group of Indian migrants landed in India early Wednesday morning as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda, a U.S. Transportation Command official confirmed to Fox News Digital.

The outlet also reported that India is the farthest destination a military aircraft has ever flown to for deportations under Trump’s administration. 

According to the official, the C-17 aircraft flew from Miramar, near San Diego, yesterday and landed in Amritsar, in northern India, around 3:30 ET. The plane carried between 104 and 205 nationals and marked the first time Washington authorized a military aircraft for deportations to India, according to Reuters. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump, have been largely discussing immigration issues since Trump took office. The White House confirmed that Trump has invited Modi to come visit next week.

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According to the Pew Research center, there are about 725,000 Indians who have been illegally residing in the U.S. since 2022, marking India as the third top source of illegal U.S. immigration after Mexico and El Salvador.   

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Indian nationals often arrive in the U.S. through H-1B visas, a foreign worker visa that allows American employers to hire foreign workers. This legal pathway of entry has been hotly contested by some Trump supporters.

The president, however, dismissed immigration concerns after having a “productive call” last month that focused on “expanding and deepening cooperation.” 

“We have a very good relationship with India,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One after his call with Modi. 

The president continued to express confidence that India will “do what is right.”

Fox News’ Kyra Colah and Reuters contributed to this report.