A United States military aircraft carrying 205 Indian migrants, including 33 from Gujarat, is expected to land at Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport in Amritsar on Wednesday afternoon. The C-17 aircraft, which departed from San Antonio, Texas, was a part of the US government’s crackdown on illegal immigration under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav confirmed that the state government is preparing to receive the deported migrants. Counters will be set up at the airport to facilitate their arrival.
Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal expressed disappointment over the US decision, stating, “These individuals contributed to the US economy and should have been granted permanent residency instead of being deported.”
He noted that many Indians initially entered the US on work permits, which later expired, rendering them illegal immigrants. Dhaliwal also announced his intention to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar next week to discuss the concerns of Punjabis living in the US.
Among the 205 deported individuals, 33 are from Gujarat. The highest number of deportees from the state are from Mehsana and Gandhinagar, with 12 individuals from each district. The remaining include four from Surat, two from Ahmedabad, and one each from Vadodara, Kheda, and Patan.
The names of nine deportees from Gandhinagar district have been identified: Ketan Darji from Khoraj; Preksha Prajapati from Prajapati Vas, Pethapur; Baldev Chaudhary from Bapupura, Mansa; Richi Chaudhary from Indrapura, Mansa; Mayra Patel and Rishita Patel from Garden City, Kalol; and Karansingh Gohil, Mittalben Gohil, and Heyan Gohil from Boru, Mansa.
This marks the first batch of Indian illegal immigrants to be deported since Trump returned to office.
A US embassy spokesperson in Delhi stated, “The United States is vigorously enforcing its border, tightening immigration laws, and removing illegal migrants. These actions send a clear message: illegal migration is not worth the risk.”
Following orders from President Trump, US law enforcement agencies have intensified deportations, with previous flights sending migrants to Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras. The Pentagon has begun organising deportation flights for over 5,000 migrants detained in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California.
Military deportation flights are significantly more expensive than those operated by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with a single military flight to Guatemala last week costing approximately $4,675 per migrant.
As of November 2024, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) records show that 20,407 undocumented Indians are either facing final removal orders or are currently in detention. Of these, 17,940 are under final removal orders but not detained, while 2,467 are being held in detention under ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
Indians form the fourth largest group by nationality, and the largest among Asians, in ICE custody.
India has stated its willingness to accept deported individuals after verifying their nationality. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last month, said, “Illegal immigration is often linked to other unlawful activities. It is neither desirable nor beneficial for our reputation. If any of our citizens are found to be in the US illegally, and we verify their citizenship, we are open to their lawful return to India.”
Following a phone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 27, Trump remarked that India “will do what is right” regarding the deportation of illegal migrants.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has reiterated India’s opposition to illegal immigration due to its links to organised crime, with MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stating on January 24, “We will take them back provided documents are shared with us so that we can verify their nationality, that they are indeed Indians.”
Punjab Police are expected to investigate how the deported individuals entered the US, the routes they took, and who assisted them in their journey. Many migrants from Punjab reportedly entered the US through illegal “donkey routes” by paying large sums of money.
Dhaliwal urged Punjabis to avoid travelling abroad through illegal means, advising them to acquire skills and education to access opportunities legally.
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