Third US plane with 112 more Indian deportees lands in Amritsar

A US military aircraft carrying 112 Indian deportees landed at the Amritsar airport on Sunday night. 

This is the third such flight bringing deportees as part of a crackdown by the Donald Trump administration against illegal immigrants.

The plane landed at the airport at around 10:00 pm, reports The Economic Times. 

Of the 112 deportees, 44 are from Haryana, 33 from Gujarat, 31 from Punjab, two from Uttar Pradesh and one each from Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, the report added. 

Families of some of the deportees have reached the airport. The deportees will be allowed to head home after completion of all formalities including immigration, verification and background checks.

US military plane flies 104 illegal immigrants back to India

Earlier on 5 February, a U.S. military plane carrying 104 deported Indian illegal immigrants landed in India, authorities said, part of President Donald Trump's immigration agenda a week before he is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington, reports Reuters. 

Migration has been among the key issues discussed by India and the U.S. since Trump assumed office last month, and is also expected to come up during Trump's talks with Modi.

Although illegal Indian immigrants have been deported by previous U.S. administrations, it is the first time Washington has used a military aircraft for the purpose. It is also the farthest destination so far for such flights using a military aircraft.

The U.S. aircraft that landed in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar, in the northern Indian state of Punjab, returned 104 Indian immigrants, said Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Punjab's minister for Non-Resident Indian Affairs.

Punjab police said 33 immigrants each were from Gujarat, Modi's home state and the northern state of Haryana, while 30 were from Punjab. They underwent hours of scrutiny at the airport before police escorted them out in small groups in police vehicles.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also 'emphasised'the Trump administration's desire to work with India to address "concerns related to irregular migration" when he met Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar last month.

New Delhi has since said it will take back such illegal immigrants after verifying their details.

The U.S. is India's largest trading partner and the two countries are forging deeper strategic ties as they look to counter China.

India is also keen to work with the U.S. to make it easier for its citizens to get skilled workers visas.

The Pentagon has said it plans to deport more than 5,000 migrants held by U.S. authorities, and Reuters reported last week that a flight to Guatemala used for the purpose likely cost at least $4,675 per migrant.