CHANDIGARH: A US plane carrying 119 illegal immigrants landed at Amritsar airport on Saturday night, marking the second batch of Indians deported under Donald Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal migration.
Sources said that the flight landed at the airport around 11:30 pm as against the expected time of 10 pm. Most of the deportees are in the age group of 18 to 30, they said.
A third US plane carrying 157 deportees is scheduled to land on Sunday.
Earlier this month, a first plane carrying 104 deportees had landed in the city, after a nearly 40-hour journey, during which they were handcuffed and had their legs chained chained, sparking nationwide outrage over inhumane treatment by the US.
Among the 119 deportees, 67 are from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Goa, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Mangal Singh of Jandiala Guru who waited for his deported grandson said that he crossed the US border on the intervening night of January 29 and 30 via the US-Mexico border.
"He left India nine months back. We paid Rs 46 lakh to send him. An agent told us he would send him legally but later he sent him via `Dunky Route’. We took a loan and sold land to send him. We will file a complaint with the police if the agent does not return our money.’’
Another family from Gurdaspur waited for their son Gurmeel Singh at the airport who left India two years back and entered the US only on January 30, this year. His father and cousin informed him that they paid Rs 36 lakh to the travel agent against a deal for Rs 50 lakh.
"He is deported back now, the agent belonged to Jalandhar. We want action against him. We want our money back,’’ said a family member.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday questioned the move to land another plane at the Amritsar airport, as he accused the Centre of trying to defame Punjab as part of a conspiracy.
"The BJP-led Centre always discriminates against Punjab. It does not let go of any chance of defaming the state," Mann said while addressing the media in Amritsar on Friday evening.
"As part of a conspiracy, they are trying to defame Punjab and Punjabis," he said.
Mann also asked the Centre under which criteria the Amritsar airport was chosen to land the second aircraft.
"What is the criterion for choosing Amritsar? The Centre and the Ministry of External Affairs should tell me. Why did you choose Amritsar and not the national capital? You did this to defame Punjab and Punjabis," Mann said.
Noting that deportation is a national issue, Mann said it is being made to appear that only Punjabis migrate illegally.
US aircraft carrying second batch of 119 Indian deportees lands in Amritsar
Data from the Pew Research Center estimates that approximately 725,000 illegal immigrants from India live in the US, making it the third-largest group of unauthorised immigrants after Mexico and El Salvador.
According to US Customs and Border Protection (USCBP), about 1,700 Indians were apprehended between 2022 and November 2024.
In 2022, 409 were intercepted, 730 in 2023, and 517 in 2024 until November, including 42 minors.
The mass deportations are a key part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration policy, which has focused on stricter enforcement and the removal of undocumented individuals.
