A US military aircraft ferrying over 100 illegal migrants from India landed at Amritsar airport on Wednesday afternoon, the first batch of Indians deported by the Donald Trump government as part of a crackdown it resolved to carry out after being sworn in last month.

The C-17 Globemaster aircraft of the US Air Force landed in Amritsar at 1.55pm a day and a half after taking off from Texas, with a reported stopover in Germany.

There was heavy barricading outside the airport and police personnel were deployed in large numbers.

Of the deportees, 33 each were from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh, a PTI report said, quoting sources. The deportees included 19 women and 13 minors, it added.

All the deportees were questioned inside the airport terminal building by the Punjab police and various state and central intelligence agencies to check if they had any criminal records. They are expected to be allowed to go home following verification and background checks even though there has been no official word about it yet, PTI reported.

Without getting into the specifics, the US embassy spokesperson in New Delhi said: “Our large-scale deportation flights typically have over 100 individuals on board.”

On who was footing the bill of the deportation, the mission said: “The US military is supporting the administration’s efforts to expedite the removal of illegal migrants globally.”

This is the first time a military aircraft has been used by the US to send back illegal migrants from India. Last month, Colombia and Mexico had refused permission to US military flights to deport their nationals back home. After a standoff, Mexico sent its own aircraft to bring back the deportees, while Colombia relented. Brazil, too, has red-flagged the “degrading treatment” meted out to the deportees on the removal flight as they arrived handcuffed.

The Congress pointed to how India had stood up to the US during UPA rule when Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade was handcuffed and strip-searched in the US.

“Foreign secretary Sujatha Singh registered a strong protest with US ambassador Nancy Powell. The UPA govt retaliated sharply. Leaders like Ms Meira Kumar, Sushil Kumar Shinde & Rahul Gandhi refused to meet the US Congressional delegation… that was visiting India at that time,” Pawan Khera, chairman of the AICC media and publicity department, posted on X.

“Dr Manmohan Singh termed the US action ‘deplorable’. Govt of India withdrew several perks given to the US embassy, including imports of food and alcohol at concessional rates by embassy staff. The income tax department started investigating the American embassy school. (Then secretary of state) John Kerry expressed regret at the treatment meted to Devyani Khobragade,” he added.

Till late in the evening, India did not comment on the deportation.