A US military aircraft, a C-17, arrived in Amritsar, Punjab on Wednesday carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants. The flight had left San Antonio, Texas on Tuesday, the first round of deportations amidst heightened security, and marked a key development in US-India immigration policies. Among the deportees were 25 women and 12 minors, with the youngest passenger being only four years old.
Majority of the deportees came from Haryana and Gujarat with 30 each. Punjab was the province with the highest number of deported individuals with 30, 30 and those coming from cities like Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Jalandhar, Nawanshahr, Patiala, Mohali, and Sangrur. Other provinces included in the list were Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Chandigarh.
There were also two deported people from Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh each, three from Maharashtra.
Critical Repatriation Under Tightly Guarded Security
Under high security measures, the US military C-17 aircraft landed at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar. The flight was the first of its kind with 11 crew members and 45 US officials overseeing the process of the deportation process. The deportees, who could have entered the United States illegally or overstayed their visa term, included all of them. Many of the people now slated for deportation had chosen the perilous “donkey route” or other means which were not available. These routes had cost them a fortune to be in the US.
Effect on Indian Diaspora
This round of deportations came at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to visit Washington. It was also the first deportation of illegal indian immigrants during President Donald Trump’s second term in office. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said India is open to the “legitimate return” of Indian nationals living illegally abroad. He also told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last month that New Delhi is ready to accept the deported immigrants after proper verification.
India is open to the legal return of Indian nationals living abroad illegitimately, Jaishankar said. “We are ready to take these migrants in after verification,” he added.
Reactions and Concerns Over Deportation
The decision to deport these immigrants has sparked controversy. Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal expressed disappointment, saying that these immigrants had heavily contributed to the US economy. “They should have been granted permanent residency, instead of being deported,” Dhaliwal said. Many of those deported had been in the US for years, employed in various sectors, and were regarded as part of the workforce.
The Scale of Illegal Indian Immigrants
Pew Research Centre reports that approximately 725,000 illegal immigrants from India reside in the US, making India the third-largest source of unauthorized immigrants after Mexico and El Salvador. Under the administration of President Trump, cracking down on illegal immigration has been a priority. Authorities are increasing deportations of individuals from various countries, including India.
The deportations have already brought out questions concerning immigration reform and the fate of illegal immigrants in the US in the future. With heightened tension over US immigration policies, the future of the Indian nationals in the US remains uncertain.
