A U.S. military plane carrying 104 deported Indian migrants has arrived in a northern Indian city, the first such flight to the country as part of a crackdown ordered by the Trump administration, airport officials said.

The flight appeared to be the first use of an American military aircraft to deport people to India, which is one of the top sources of illegal immigration to the United States.

At least 104 Indian citizens were deported from the United States Tuesday night on a military aircraft, according to officials from India’s Punjab state, as US President Donald Trump makes stemming migration a top priority.

The Indian government has formally raised concerns with the US administration over the treatment of 104 alleged Indian immigrants who were deported on 5 February aboard a 42-hour US military flight, reported The Hindu.

It took Daler Singh six months and $45,000 to reach the United States last month without paperwork. Within three weeks of his arrival, he was sent back to his native India on a military plane, his hands and legs cuffed throughout the journey.

The recent deportation of 104 Indian immigrants by the US likely cost around $1 million, as military flights are more expensive than civilian options.

But he noted the “process of deportation is not a new one”, and that the United States had expelled more than 15,000 Indians since 2009, almost half of them between 2019-2024.