A United States military aircraft carrying more than 100 deported Indian citizens landed at the Amritsar airport on Wednesday afternoon, The Indian Express reported.

The aircraft, which departed from San Antonio, Texas, had initially been scheduled to arrive in the morning.

The deportation is part of a wider crackdown by President Donald Trump’s administration, which has used military aircraft to repatriate undocumented migrants. This is the first military deportation of Indian citizens since Trump returned to office on January 20.

The Union government has not yet confirmed the number of Indians who were on the flight.

However, according to The Indian Express, the persons being deported include 25 women, 12 minors and 79 men. The flight also carried 11 crew members and 45 US officials.

Reuters quoted local media as reporting that the flight was bringing 205 back persons.

Besides Punjab, the deportees are from Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Of these, 33 each are from Gujarat and Haryana, 30 from Punjab, three from Maharashtra and two each from Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh, The Indian Express reported.

The Punjab Police had increased security at the Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport, which saw an unusually large crowd gathered ahead of the aircraft’s arrival.

Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said on Tuesday that the state government had decided to “welcome them in a friendly manner” and set up assistance counters at the airport. Minibuses have been arranged to transport the deportees back to their home states.

Congress leaders alleged that the US authorities had mistreated the deportees.

“Looking at the pictures of Indians getting handcuffed and humiliated while being deported from the US saddens me as an Indian,” Congress Spokesperson Pawan Khera said.

It was unclear which photos he was referring to.

The party’s Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi called the treatment “demeaning and dehumanising” and questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the issue.

A US Embassy spokesperson in Delhi told The Indian Express on Tuesday: “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.”

India’s Ministry of External Affairs has stated that it is committed to repatriating nationals residing abroad without proper documentation.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in January that India was open to the “legitimate return” of undocumented Indian migrants and was working with US authorities to verify the identities of the individuals.

A 2022 US Department of Homeland Security report estimated that 220,000 undocumented Indian migrants were living in the country. More than 1,100 Indians were deported in the 12 months leading up to October 2024.