In 3D, maps: Deportation of illegal immigrants under Trump’s crackdown

No longer just campaign rhetoric, President Donald Trump’s insistence that illegal immigration in the United States amounted to an “invasion” took a tangible form when many Indians said they were handcuffed during their journey back home onboard a military plane this week.

On February 5, a US Air Force aircraft landed in Amritsar with over 104 Indians who were living illegally in the US. Many of them said their hands and legs were cuffed throughout the journey.

It was not the first case of the Trump administration deporting illegal immigrants since his inauguration last month.

As of 2023, the US had around 2.29 crore people who were not birth citizens, including green card holders, those on temporary student or work visas and unauthorised migrants, according to data from the US Census Bureau. They make up nearly 7 per cent of the US population, and more than half were born in Latin America.

There are around 655,000 non-citizens living in the U.S. with criminal convictions or pending charges, according to data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement(ICE), though many of these charges are for minor offences such as traffic violations. Out of all those who are unauthorised, Trump said the top priority for deportation will be criminals.

India is one of the top sources of illegal immigration to the United States, according to the Pew Research Center. As of 2022, more than 725,000 undocumented Indians were living in the United States, the center estimates, making them the third-largest group, behind Mexicans and Salvadorans. The number is significantly lower at 220,000, according to unauthorised immigrant population estimates from the United States Office of Homeland Security.

Some Indians arrived legally and overstayed their visas. Others crossed the borders without authorisation: In 2023 alone, about 90,000 Indians were arrested as they tried to enter the United States illegally, according to U.S. government data.

While deportation is not new and has happened under Biden, use of military aircraft and handcuffs have created a flutter in India. On February 6, Congress has staged a demonstration protesting the inhumane approach.

External Minister Jaishankar said that the government is engaging with the U.S. to ensure that deported Indians are not mistreated. “We are of course engaging the U.S. government to ensure the returning deportees are not mistreated in any manner during the flight,” said the Minister, underlining the focus should be on strong crackdown on the illegal migration industry.

“Process of deportation is not a new one, it has been there for several years. This is not a policy applicable to only one country.” he added.

Mexicans remain by far the largest group of people living in the U.S. without authorisation, but their share has declined significantly since the 1990s, according to data from the Pew Research Center.

On January 24, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted images of handcuffed migrants tied together and walking toward a military plane on X, writing, “Deportation flights have begun. President Trump is sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences.”

WHY MILITARY FLIGHTS?

What sets this wave of deportations apart isn’t just the numbers—it is the unprecedented deployment of military aircraft. Traditionally reserved for war zones and humanitarian crises, these planes are now being repurposed for immigration enforcement, imposing a staggering financial burden on American taxpayers—“five times more than a first-class ticket,” as reported by Reuters.

The U.S. typically deports illegal immigrants using commercial charter flights that resemble regular passenger planes, operated by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). However, this time, massive military planes, C-17s and C-130Es are being deployed for deportation.

Unlike ICE charter flights, these military deportations came with an exorbitant price tag. According to Reuters, a 10-hour military flight to Guatemala “likely cost at least $4,675 (approximately Rs 4.07 lakh) per migrant… more than five times the $853 (Rs 74,300) cost of a one-way first-class ticket on American Airlines” for the same route.

A US official estimated that operating a C-17 military transport aircraft costs Rs 24 lakh per hour. And the flight to India is the longest yet among deportation flights under Trump, lasting more than 24 hours.