Amritsar, Punjab – A US aircraft carrying 116 Indian immigrants deported for illegal entry landed at Amritsar International Airport late on Saturday night. This marks the second batch of deportations under the US government’s immigration crackdown. A third flight, scheduled to land on February 16, is expected to bring 157 additional deportees.
The C-17 aircraft touched down at 11:35 PM, carrying individuals who had illegally migrated to the US in hopes of a better future. This deportation drive, initiated under Donald Trump’s administration, aims to curb illegal immigration. Officials did not immediately confirm whether the latest batch of returnees was shackled, as was the case with the previous group.
Upon arrival, the deportees were subjected to immigration formalities, verification, and background checks before being allowed to return home. Many individuals from the first deportation batch, which arrived on February 5, revealed that they had been duped by fraudulent travel agents and caught at the US border before being sent back in restraints.
Breakdown of Deportees by State
Out of the 116 individuals in the latest group, the majority—65—are from Punjab, followed by 33 from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, two each from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, and Rajasthan, and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. Most of them fall within the 18 to 30-year age group, indicating that young people are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking and illegal migration schemes.
The first batch of deportees, which arrived on February 5, included 104 individuals, with 33 each from Haryana and Gujarat and 30 from Punjab.
Government and Political Responses
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann personally visited Amritsar International Airport to assess the situation. He assured that arrangements had been made to help deportees from Punjab return to their hometowns and extended support to those from Haryana. However, Haryana authorities confirmed that they had already made separate travel arrangements for their returnees. Deportees from other states will be flown to Delhi on Sunday morning. Mann also ensured that food and other essential services were provided for the deportees before their onward journey.
The deportation issue has sparked a political debate, with Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa criticizing the AAP-led Punjab government for failing to curb human trafficking. He questioned how many fraudulent travel agents had been arrested over the last three years.
In response to rising concerns, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav recently set up a four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by ADGP Praveen Sinha, to investigate complaints about travel agent frauds. Authorities urged the public to come forward with any information regarding illegal immigration rackets operating within the state.
Concerns Over Amritsar as Deportation Hub
Mann also raised questions about why all deportation flights are being directed to Amritsar instead of other international airports in India. Responding to a social media post by BJP leader R P Singh, who suggested that Amritsar is the closest international airport for flights from the US, Mann challenged the Indian government’s lack of direct flights between Amritsar and the US, a long-standing demand of Punjab residents.
With a third flight carrying 157 deportees set to land on February 16, the issue of illegal immigration and human trafficking continues to be a pressing concern for Indian authorities. The government’s crackdown on fraudulent travel agents and the political discourse surrounding immigration policies are expected to intensify in the coming weeks.
