A US military aircraft carrying 119 Indian immigrants deported from the United States landed at Amritsar Airport in Punjab. The C-17 military plane landed at 11:40 PM on Saturday (February 15). This is the second repatriation of Indian nationals from the US to Amritsar within the past 10 days, according to Indian news outlet NDTV.
Among the 119 deported Indian immigrants on board, 67 were from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, 8 from Gujarat, 3 from Uttar Pradesh, 2 each from Goa, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, and 1 each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
Another flight carrying 157 more Indian immigrants is expected to land on Sunday. These deportations are part of the Trump administration’s strict immigration policies and its decision to repatriate illegal immigrants to their home countries.
Earlier, 104 Indian nationals were deported, including 33 from Haryana, 33 from Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, 3 from Maharashtra, 3 from Uttar Pradesh, and 3 from Chhattisgarh. They were flown back to India from Ontario, Texas, on the same type of aircraft.
During the entire flight, the deported Indian immigrants were kept in handcuffs and leg chains. They were released only upon reaching India. The incident has sparked widespread criticism in India’s political circles. It even led to disruptions in both houses of the Indian Parliament during an ongoing budget session.
Amid the backlash, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated that the central government is in contact with the United States to ensure that deported Indian nationals are not mistreated. He also mentioned that the deportation of illegal immigrants from the US is not a new phenomenon and has been happening for years.