US starts deporting illegal migrants to India amid Trump's border crackdown

The Trump administration has started deporting Indian migrants who entered the US illegally, according to a report by Reuters. A US military C-17 aircraft had departed for India with migrants aboard but would not arrive for at least 24 hours, the report quoted an official as saying.  Soon after Trump's inauguration last month, the Indian government agreed to take back all its citizens residing illegally in the US, according to a report in Bloomberg. The report said that the two countries together identified around 18,000 illegal Indian migrants in the US to be sent back home.  US President Donald Trump has consistently advocated for the removal of illegal immigrants from the United States, citing concerns over national security, economic impact, and the rule of law. He argues that illegal immigration poses threats to public safety and burdens the nation's resources.  Trump has increasingly turned to the military to help carry out his immigration agenda, including sending additional troops to the US-Mexico border, using military aircraft to deport migrants and opening military bases to house them.

   

So far, US military aircraft have flown migrants to Guatemala, Peru and Honduras.  Besides, the Narendra Modi-led government has significantly slashed customs duties on high-end motorcycles, cars and smartphone parts in view of Trump's tariff threats. During his first term in the White House, Trump had raised the issue of heavy import duty on Harley Davidson and labelled India a "tremendous tariff maker." 

PM Modi likely to meet Trump soon

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to pay a two-day visit to the US beginning February 12 to hold wide-ranging talks with US President Donald Trump, news agency PTI reported. This would be the prime minister's first bilateral visit to the US after Trump returned to the White House.

 

PM Modi is likely to travel to Washington DC after concluding his two-day visit to Paris.