US deports 2nd batch of 117 illegal Indian immigrants

US deports 2nd batch of 117 illegal Indian immigrants

US deports 2nd batch of 117 illegal Indian immigrants BySurjit Singh Feb 16, 2025 12:53 AM IST Share Via Copy Link The landing marks the second such deportation operation in a little over a week.

A second military flight carrying Indian citizens deported by the US for illegally entering the country landed in Amritsar late on Saturday, bringing 117 people – most of whom were from Punjab.

Relatives of the deportees wait outside the airport in Amritsar on Saturday. (PTI)

The United States Air Force C-17 Globemaster jet landed at the airport around 11.30pm and on-board were 65 from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Maharashtra and Rajasthan, and Goa and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, people aware of the matter said.

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann reached the city on Friday to receive the deportees.

The landing marks the second such deportation operation in a little over a week, intensifying a crackdown that has seen over 1,100 Indian nationals returned from the US between October 2023 and September 2024.

The first US military aircraft on February 7 had brought back 104 people, with Gujarat and Haryana accounting for 33 deportees each, followed by 30 from Punjab.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, who arrived in Amritsar on Friday to oversee arrangements for the deportees, raised multiple concerns about the operation. During a press conference at the airport hours before the flight’s arrival, Mann warned the central government against turning Amritsar, a city of significant religious importance, into a “detention or deportee centre.”

“This sacred land has several sacred places like Sri Harmandar Sahib, Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal, Durgiana Mandir and Jallianwala Bagh,” Mann said, questioning whether such deportation operations would be conducted at other religious sites like Vatican City. He also raised security concerns about US military aircraft landing at an airport just 40 kilometres from India’s border.

The criticism found support across party lines. Congress MP Manish Tewari backed Mann’s position, questioning the choice of landing site. “Why are these planes landing in Punjab? Are you trying to send a message that every illegal immigrant to the US is from Punjab?” Tewari said, warning that “Punjab does not take very easily to humiliation.” Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former state minister Gulzar Singh Ranike termed it a “conspiracy to defame Punjab.”

The state government has promised rehabilitation support for returnees, many of whom sold land or incurred heavy debts – typically between ₹40-60 lakh ($48,000-$72,000) – to fund their attempts at entering the United States. Most took either the perilous “dunki route” through Latin America or attempted entry after obtaining student visas in the United Kingdom.

The deportations come amid heightened focus on illegal migration networks. Punjab Police recently made their first arrest in the case, apprehending a travel agent for allegedly orchestrating journeys through Suriname and Central America.

The deportations became a political flashpoint ahead of Modi’s White House visit earlier in the week, where the two countries resolved to work on a number of issues, including immigration.

Mann criticised the Prime Minister for not addressing the issue during his recent meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. “On one hand the Prime Minister was hugging the US President during his recent tour and at the same time the chained Indians were being shamefully deported back to their native land,” Mann said.

State authorities have promised strict action against travel agents involved in illegal migration schemes. “The state government is very strict against the illegal travel agents because of whom these innocent Indians had gone illegally to the US,” Mann said, promising “exemplary action” against those “duping the common Indians.”

Officials have been deployed to facilitate the returnees’ journey to their respective districts, with the state government arranging boarding and lodging facilities at the airport. Mann assured that the government would explore opportunities for rehabilitating deportees, saying “no stone will be left unturned for this noble cause.”