Categories
Two flights carrying 119 Indian migrants who were deported from the United States are expected to arrive at Guru Ram Dass International Airport in Amritsar on February 15 and February 16. According to officials, both flights are scheduled to land at 10:05 PM on the respective dates.
The majority of the deportees are from Punjab (67), followed by those from Haryana (33), Gujarat (8), Uttar Pradesh (3), Maharashtra (2), Goa (2), Rajasthan (2), and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
The deportees arriving in India include individuals who had entered the US illegally through Mexico and other routes. Reports suggest that some of them tore up their passports upon arrival in the US. The deportations are part of the second phase of returns amid a strict crackdown on illegal immigration by the Trump administration.
The first flight with deportees landed in Amritsar on February 5, when a US military aircraft carrying 104 individuals from various states arrived in Punjab. The deportees from this flight were also from different states, including 33 from Haryana and Gujarat each, 30 from Punjab, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh.
Some of the deportees from the February 5 flight claimed they were kept in handcuffs for the duration of their journey, only being unshackled upon arrival in Amritsar. These reports have sparked outrage across India, with opposition leaders calling for action. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge criticized the treatment of the deportees, stating they were “treated worse than garbage.”
Following the uproar, the Indian government expressed its concerns to Washington regarding the treatment of the deportees. The deportations have also led to a crackdown by police in Punjab and Haryana against travel agents who facilitate illegal migration to the US by charging large sums of money.
Disclaimer: This is an AI-generated live blog and has not been edited by Localtak staff.
Also Read: Kerala Ragging Incident: Senior Students to Be Expelled from Medical College
