A United States military aircraft carrying undocumented Indian migrants has departed for India, a US official told Reuters on Monday.

The unidentified official confirmed that the C-17 aircraft left the US but would take at least 24 hours to arrive in India.

The Trump administration has used the US military to support its immigration policies, including deploying troops on the country’s border with Mexico, housing migrants on military bases and using military planes for deportations.

Military planes have repatriated migrants to Guatemala, Peru and Honduras. India is the farthest destination for a deportation flight under Trump, who took office on January 20.

A recent military flight to Guatemala reportedly cost at least $4,675 per migrant, Reuters reported.

On January 24, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it was committed to repatriating Indian nationals residing abroad without proper documentation. This came after reports that India was working with the Trump administration to deport around 18,000 undocumented or visa-overstaying Indian nationals from the US.

On January 22, after meetings with US officials in Washington, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told reporters that India was open to the “legitimate return” of undocumented Indian migrants. He said the verification process for determining eligible individuals was ongoing and that the exact number was yet to be established.

A Bloomberg report on January 21 said New Delhi had expressed readiness to cooperate with Washington in identifying and repatriating Indian citizens living illegally in the US. Soon after, the US stated that it wanted to work with India to strengthen economic ties and address concerns related to “irregular migration”.

While Indian nationals accounted for about 3% of all illegal crossings encountered by US border officials in the 2024 fiscal year, their numbers have been rising, particularly at the northern US-Canada border, Bloomberg reported. According to US Customs and Border Protection data, Indians made up nearly a quarter of all illegal crossings at this entry point, the highest among unauthorised migrants.

A 2022 US Department of Homeland Security report estimated that 220,000 undocumented Indian immigrants were living in the US. India has cooperated with US border enforcement efforts under both the Trump and previous Biden administrations, with more than 1,100 Indian nationals deported in the 12 months leading up to October 2024.