WASHINGTON: Following the strict directive of US President Donald Trump, the US military has reportedly started deporting Indian immigrants in a military aircraft. The first group of immigrants left for India in US’ C-17 aircraft. Bloomberg reports that about 18,000 Indian immigrants are living illegally in US. India is the furthest destination of US military aircraft that are sending back immigrants.
It is reported that 7.25 lakh Indians are living illegally in the US. Illegal immigrants are mostly from the states of Gujarat, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh. Malayalees are few. The number of returnees could be up to 30,000. The big challenge is finding undocumented individuals. The total illegal immigrants are about 1.5 million. India is behind Mexico and El Salvador in the number of returnees.
Meantime, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Trump are reportedly set to meet this month. The two leaders will meet in Washington, DC on February 13. White House sources have confirmed this in a phone conversation between Modi and Trump. Modi will be leaving for Washington after the AI Summit to be held in France on the 10th and 11th. Modi, who will be staying there for two days, has other official programs, including a visit to the White House. It is also reported that Modi will attend a dinner hosted at the White House. The two leaders are also likely to discuss the tariff issue and illegal immigration.