During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington next week, the Indian side will share with the Trump administration New Delhi’s discomfort with illegal immigrants from India being sent back in military aircraft.

       Discussions between the two sides will also cover issues from trade and energy security to increased security cooperation, sources said.

       New Delhi has indicated it would be open to purchasing more oil and defence equipment from the United States (US).

       India, it is learnt, has agreed to accept all of the nearly 18,000 undocumented Indians detained by US authorities. Unlike some other countries that have either resisted or protested the Trump administration sending back their citizens living in the US illegally, New Delhi does not intend to negotiate or try thwarting the US authorities deporting its citizens, a source privy to the

       discussions said.

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       However, the Indian side will try to impress upon the Trump administration the importance of appreciating its sensitivities and political implications on the issue of deporting undocumented Indians in military aircraft, and request that they be treated in a humane manner. New Delhi’s understanding is that most of the 18,000 undocumented Indians are from Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat, with some from the Telugu states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, which are politically important.

       In October, the US deported around 100 Indians in a civilian aircraft.

       “The Indians that the US is sending back are working-class people, who have been earning their livelihoods there. They are not criminals, as is the case with some of the other illegal immigrants hailing from US’ neighbourhood, which it is deporting,” the source said.

       The sense in New Delhi is that US President Donald Trump’s messaging on India has been “softer” than on some other countries, as evident from his statement that India “will do the right thing” on immigration. But sources conceded they were entering an “unpredictable” period in US-India relations. India hopes to leverage its cooperation on the issue of illegal immigration to secure concessions in other sectors.

       According to sources, Modi’s will be a “working visit” to Washington, one of his briefest to that country as Prime Minister.

       The detailed itinerary of the visit is being worked out, including whether he will meet the Indian diaspora in Washington and business leaders, such as Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk. He is scheduled to visit Washington on February 13-14, after his visit to France, where he will attend the AI Action Summit in Paris on February 11 and inaugurate, with French President Emmanuel Macron, the Indian consulate in Marseille on February 12.

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