Amritsar: A US military aircraft carrying the first group of 104 deported Indian immigrants landed at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar on Wednesday under tight security. The individuals, primarily from Haryana, Gujarat, and Punjab, were flown back on a C-17 military aircraft that departed from San Antonio, Texas, on Tuesday.
According to official reports, the deportees included 30 individuals from Haryana, 30 from Gujarat, and 30 from Punjab. Additionally, two individuals were from Uttar Pradesh, two from Chandigarh, and three from Maharashtra. The group consisted of 25 women and 12 minors, with the youngest being a four-year-old child. A significant portion—48 individuals—were below the age of 25.
The flight was staffed with 11 crew members and accompanied by 45 US officials overseeing the deportation process. A senior Punjab government official stated that many of the deportees from Punjab belonged to districts such as Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Jalandhar, Nawanshahr, Patiala, Mohali, and Sangrur. Some of them had entered the US illegally, while others had overstayed their visas.
This mass deportation comes just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Washington. The visit marks his first trip to the US since Donald Trump began his second term as President.
India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, previously stated that the country is open to the legal repatriation of Indian nationals residing abroad without proper documentation, including those in the US. Last month, he assured US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that India would facilitate the return of these migrants following a verification process.
US President Donald Trump, who has maintained a firm stance on illegal immigration, defended the deportation policy, stating, “For the first time in history, we are locating and transporting illegal aliens using military aircraft to return them to their home countries.”
Punjab’s NRI Affairs Minister, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, expressed dissatisfaction with the US government’s decision, highlighting that many of the deported individuals had contributed to the American economy and should have been considered for permanent residency instead of facing deportation.
A report by the Pew Research Center estimates that approximately 7,25,000 Indian nationals are living in the US without legal documentation, making them the third-largest group of unauthorized immigrants after those from Mexico and El Salvador. Many of the deportees from Punjab reportedly took illegal routes, including the infamous “donkey route,” paying large sums to enter the US.
The US government has intensified its crackdown on undocumented immigrants under President Trump’s administration, leading to a rise in deportations, particularly of those who entered illegally or overstayed their visas. This move is expected to have far-reaching consequences for thousands of Indians currently residing in the US without legal status.
