Chandigarh: A US military aircraft carrying 112 Indians living illegally in that country landed at the Amritsar airport late Sunday, the third such batch of Indians to be sent back amid a crackdown by the Donald Trump administration against illegal immigrants.
The C-17 aircraft landed at 10:03 pm, sources said.
They said 44 of the deportees were from Haryana, 33 from Gujarat, 31 from Punjab, two from Uttar Pradesh, and one each from Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Among the deportees were 19 women and 14 minors, including two infants.
The deportees from Punjab and Haryana were taken to their respective destinations around 4:45 am on Monday following the completion of formalities such as immigration, verification and background checks.
The deportees’ arrived within 24 hours of a US military aircraft bringing back another batch of Indians living illegally in that country.
Deputy Commissioner (Amritsar) Sakshi Sawhney told reporters earlier that 112 deportees came on the flight.
When asked about their health, she said everyone was fine.
Arrangements for food were made, she added.
Transportation was also arranged to take the deportees to their respective destinations.
The deportees hailing from Punjab were taken in vehicles arranged by the state government. The Haryana government had sent two buses for transporting the deportees from the state to their native places.
The deportees from other states would be flown to Delhi and then taken to their respective destinations in other flights, officials said.
The family members of a few deportees were present at the airport.
On February 5, a US military aircraft carrying the first batch of 104 illegal Indian immigrants landed in Amritsar. Among them, 33 each were from Haryana and Gujarat, and 30 from Punjab.
Another 116 deportees arrived on Saturday amid questions by several leaders, including Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, over the BJP-led Centre’s move to allow planes carrying immigrants to land in Amritsar.
Mann accused the Centre of trying to “defame Punjab as part of a conspiracy”.
The men among the deportees on Saturday’s flight claimed that they were shackled during the journey. Sikh deportees were allegedly without their turbans.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) strongly condemned the US authorities for allegedly not allowing the Sikh deportees to wear turbans.
SGPC officials, who were deputed for providing “langar” and bus services to the deportees, gave “dastar (turban)” to the Sikhs.
Mann on Sunday said “the mass deportations is an eye-opener for all of us”, as he requested youngsters to shun the idea of illegally going abroad and work hard in the state to ensure its socio-economic growth.
Among the second batch of deportees, those hailing from Punjab were taken to their homes in police vehicles around 4:30 am on Sunday after immigration and background checks.
However, two deportees belonging to Rajpura in Patiala district were arrested upon their arrival in connection with a murder case. Sandeep Singh alias Sunny and Pradeep Singh were wanted in a murder case registered in Rajpura in 2023.
The second batch of deportees had tales of toil, journey through dangerous and illegal pathways in pursuit of the American dream and its ultimate shattering to share. Many claimed that they were duped by travel agents.
Daljit Singh from Kurala Kalan village said he was taken to the US through the “dunki” route — an illegal and risky pathway used by migrants to enter the US.
His experience highlighted the grim reality of illegal migration through such routes as many fall prey to fraudulent travel agents and endure unimaginable hardships in pursuit of a better life.
Sourav (20), who reached Chandiwala village in Ferozepur district on Sunday, told reporters that they were shackled en route. “We were handcuffed and our legs chained.
Saddled with mountainous debt, most of the family members of the deportees now stare at a bleak future as they had mortgaged their farmland and cattle to facilitate the journeys abroad.
About the shackling of deportees, Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said in a post on X, “You will be very sad to know that throughout the journey, once again, the American soldiers had tied the hands and feet of our Indian immigrants. Despite opposition to earlier cuffing, the Indians were treated inhumanly.
He said the government would put the travel agents who duped these people behind bars and requested the deportees to come forward and lodge complaints.
PTI
