NEW DELHI: A US military aircraft carrying 205 Indian migrants took off from San Antonio, Texas, at around 3 am IST, marking the first large-scale deportation of Indians under President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration crackdown. The move is part of his administration’s aggressive efforts to deport an estimated 11 million undocumented migrants.

India is the farthest destination for US military deportation flights, with the Pentagon confirming plans to deport over 5,000 migrants from El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California. So far, deportation flights have primarily targeted Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras.

Trump’s administration recently launched military deportation flights as part of an emergency immigration order. Last week, six such flights were dispatched to Latin America, but only four landed successfully. Two flights bound for Colombia were turned away, with the country opting to repatriate its citizens using its own aircraft.

“For the first time in history, we are locating and loading illegal aliens into military aircraft and flying them back to the places from which they came,” Trump said last month.

Bloomberg reports that India and the US have identified around 18,000 Indian migrants living in the US illegally. India is a major recipient of H-1B visas for skilled workers, but those without legal documentation are now facing removal.

Trump had earlier assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India would cooperate in accepting deported nationals. The US Congress has also approved a bill mandating the detention and deportation of undocumented migrants. Trump has promised the “largest deportation operation in American history” if re-elected.

Military deportation flights come at a steep cost—around $4,675 per migrant, significantly higher than commercial flights. Meanwhile, Trump has also imposed fresh tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, citing border security concerns.