Second Group of 119 Undocumented Immigrants from US Arriving in India Today

Amritsar, Feb 15 (NationPress) A second group of 119 undocumented immigrants from the US, including 67 individuals from Punjab, is scheduled to arrive at Amritsar’s Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport on Saturday night via a special flight, according to officials. An additional flight carrying deportees from the US is anticipated to arrive on February 16.

Previously, a US military aircraft with 104 deportees landed in Amritsar on February 5.

Officials indicated that apart from the 67 immigrants from Punjab, Saturday’s flight will feature 33 individuals 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.

This marks the second round of deportations carried out by the Trump administration as part of its crackdown on illegal immigration. The plane is expected to arrive at the airport around 10 p.m. on Saturday.

The deportation of these individuals is part of a more extensive initiative by US immigration authorities targeting those who have either entered the country unlawfully or overstayed their visas.

Sources have indicated that deportations will persist on a bi-weekly basis, with similar flights returning Indian nationals in the forthcoming weeks until all undocumented immigrants are repatriated.

The Indian government is actively engaged through diplomatic channels to facilitate the repatriation of its citizens affected by these deportations.

While this process has caused distress for numerous families, officials stress that such deportations are part of a broader effort to combat illegal immigration, assuring that those wishing to return will receive support.

With this ongoing crackdown, both the US and India are implementing measures to confront immigration challenges while maintaining adherence to their respective laws.

This deportation occurs just a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with US President Donald Trump, emphasizing the necessity to combat the “ecosystem” that entices individuals from ordinary families with grand promises, drawing them into illegal immigration.

“We believe that anyone who enters and resides in a foreign country unlawfully has no legal entitlement to remain there,” PM Modi stated at a joint press conference with Trump at the White House on Thursday.

Opposing the decision to land another flight carrying deported Indians at Amritsar airport, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann labeled it a “conspiracy by the Union government to tarnish Punjab and Punjabis’ image.”

During a media interaction, the Chief Minister asserted that despite Punjab’s status as the country's food bowl and security pillar, the decision to land the deportation flight at Amritsar is merely another attempt by the Government of India to damage Punjab’s reputation on a global scale.

Mann questioned the Ministry of External Affairs' (MEA) choice to designate Amritsar for this landing when there are numerous other airports available across the nation.

The Chief Minister noted that he has already raised this concern with the MEA and the Ministry of Home Affairs but has yet to receive a satisfactory response.

He highlighted that a plane had recently landed and now two more are being scheduled without adequate justification.

He stated, “It is the moral obligation of the MEA to clarify why Punjab, particularly Amritsar, has been selected for this landing.”

He remarked that despite a hostile neighbor being only 40 kilometers from Amritsar, a US military plane is being directed to land there.