"Illegal Migration Is Not Worth The Risk": US Embassy On Deporting Migrants To India (image: pixabay)
New Delhi: According to Reuters, an official stated that a US military plane started deporting illegal Indian migrants back to the country on Monday (February 3). Regarding deportation, US embassy spokesperson refused to share any details, but told news agency ANI, “illegal migration is not worth the risk.”
A US military plane started deporting illegal Indian migrants back to the country, Reuters quoted as US official said on Monday (February 3). A C-17 aircraft had departed for India with migrants aboard but would not arrive for at least 24 hours, Reuters report said. The Pentagon has also started facilitating flights to deport more than 5,000 immigrants held by US authorities in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California.
Meanwhile, US embassy spokesperson told ANI: “I have received a number of inquiries on reporting of a deportation flight to India. I can’t share any details on those inquiries, but I can share, on the record, that the United States is vigorously enforcing its border, tightening immigration laws, and removing illegal migrants. These actions send a clear message: illegal migration is not worth the risk.”
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The crackdown on illegal migration has been a signature campaign point for Trump. After Trump’s inauguration, the Indian government has agreed to take back all its citizens residing in the US illegally. As per a Bloomberg report, both countries had identified some 18,000 illegal Indian migrants who were to be sent back home.
Last month, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar said at a press conference in Washington DC that New Delhi was open to taking back undocumented Indians and was in the process of verifying those in the United States who could be deported to India. “We are very firmly opposed to illegal mobility and illegal migration”, said him.
“We have always taken the view that if there are any of our citizens, who are not here legally, if we are sure that they are our citizens, we have always been open to their legitimate return to India. So it’s not a position unique to the US,” Jaishankar added.
Trump administration is committed to restrict immigration in the US and to deport all those living in the country without proper documents. Within hours of taking office, Trump shut down the CBP one app that faciliatated legal entry of immigrants into the US by granting them work eligibility and also abolished birthright citizenship.
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According to Reuters, previous military aircrafts have transported migrants to Guatemala, Peru and Honduras so far. However, the military flights are a costly method to transport migrants. A military deportation flight to Guatemala last week likely cost at least $4,675 per migrant, Reuters reported.
