Around 119 Indians are set to arrive at Amritsar International Airport this weekend after being deported from the United States. Two flights carrying the deportees are expected to land on February 15 and 16 at Guru Ram Dass International Airport. Among them, 67 are from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Rajasthan and Maharashtra, and one each from Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. Officials revealed that these individuals had entered the US illegally, mainly through the Mexico border, and had destroyed their passports after arrival.
This is the second batch of deportees since Donald Trump assumed the US presidency. The first group of 104 Indians, who arrived on February 5, were brought back in handcuffs and leg restraints, sparking widespread criticism in India. The incident led to the Indian government raising concerns with the US over the treatment of deportees. In response to the growing issue of illegal immigration, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking at the White House, stressed the need to combat human trafficking networks that lure individuals with false promises. Modi affirmed India’s willingness to take back verified citizens but emphasized the importance of addressing the root causes of illegal immigration.
According to US Customs and Border Protection, approximately 1,700 Indians were apprehended between 2022 and November 2024, including 42 minors. The number of interceptions increased from 409 in 2022 to 730 in 2023, and 517 in 2024 up to November. A 2022 Pew Research Center estimate suggested that around 725,000 unauthorized Indian immigrants were living in the US. The deportations align with the Trump administration’s broader immigration policies, which prioritize stricter enforcement and removal of undocumented individuals.