Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri clarified the use of a military aircraft for deporting Indian 'aliens' from the US, citing it as a national security operation. He mentioned ongoing efforts to verify the citizenship of 298 identified individuals out of 487 presumed Indian citizens with final removal orders.

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.

On Wednesday, a US Air Force cargo plane landed in Amritsar, India, carrying 104 Indian nationals who had entered the US illegally, according to a US government statement.