US begins deporting Indian migrants on military flights under Trump’s immigration policies
Washington, D.C.: USA has begun deporting Indian migrants on military flights. A US military aircraft carrying 205 Indian nationals departed from San Antonio, Texas, as part of an ongoing deportation drive under President Donald Trump's strict immigration policies. The C-17 aircraft left at around 3 am IST, with all passengers verified by the Indian government before departure.
This marks the first time a US military plane has been used to deport Indian migrants, making India the farthest destination for such flights. The US Department of Defense has outlined plans to deport over 5,000 undocumented migrants from El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California. Previous flights transported individuals to Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras.
The military deportation initiative, launched last week as part of Trump’s emergency declaration on immigration, has already seen six flights, four of which landed in Guatemala. However, two flights to Colombia were denied entry, leading to diplomatic tensions before the migrants were eventually transported by Colombian aircraft.
Trump had earlier stated that the US would use military aircraft to repatriate undocumented migrants, emphasising a firm stance on border control. Following discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he expressed confidence that India would cooperate in taking back its nationals. Reports indicate that approximately 18,000 Indian migrants have been identified as undocumented in the US.
The Trump administration has prioritised mass deportations, aligning with his previous campaign promises to remove large numbers of undocumented migrants. Shortly after taking office, he declared a national emergency at the southern border, leading to the approval of a bill mandating detention and deportation for those entering the country illegally and charged with specific crimes.
The use of military resources for deportations has drawn scrutiny, with reports highlighting the high costs involved. A recent flight to Guatemala was estimated to cost over $4,675 per migrant—significantly higher than the cost of deportation through commercial charter flights operated by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Beyond immigration policies, Trump has also introduced new tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China, with similar measures planned for Europe. Tariff hikes on Canada have been postponed by a month following a $1.3 billion commitment to combat drug trafficking and illegal migration across the northern border. Mexico secured a similar reprieve by deploying 10,000 troops to its border with the US. Meanwhile, additional tariffs of 25% on Mexican and Canadian imports were scheduled to take effect, alongside a 10% increase on Chinese imports.
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Accept Congress decision appointing V D Satheesan as Kerala CM: K C Venugopal
Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi (PTI): Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal on Thursday accepted the party decision to select V D Satheesan as the chief minister of Kerala and congratulated him.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Venugopal, who was one of the three persons being considered for the post, said he will provide all support to the CM and the UDF government in Kerala.
The decision comes more than 10 days after the results of the April Assembly polls in Kerala were declared.
The Congress-led UDF secured a more than two-thirds majority in the Kerala Assembly elections, but the party has been unable to decide its chief ministerial face due to lobbying by different camps and protests by workers at the ground level.
Besides, Satheesan and Venugopal, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala was also in the race for the CM post.
