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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4.4 magnitude quake hits northern Pakistan
Islamabad (PTI): A 4.4 magnitude earthquake jolted parts of north and northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, the second tremor to hit the country in as many days.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The earthquake that struck at 9:30 am (local time) originated at a depth of 14 kilometres with its epicentre located 11 kms northeast of Burhan, Attock, according to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, Islamabad.
Tremors were felt in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The Saturday morning quake came less than 24 hours after a 5.9 magnitude temblor struck parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces, with tremors felt in several cities, including Peshawar and Islamabad, on Friday.
The epicentre of that quake at 6:09 pm (local time) was in Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region at a depth of 101 kilometres.
Earthquakes are common in northern Pakistan due to its location in the Himalayas where the Indian and the Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
Earlier, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit Balochistan province on February 13 but no loss to life or property was reported there too. Its epicentre was 86 kms northeast of Khuzdar town of the province.
The quake was preceded on the same day by another tremor of magnitude 3.8 that struck 75 kms southeast of Khuzdar at a depth of 33 kms.
The worst quake the country suffered was in 2005, which killed about 74,000 people.
