A US military plane carrying illegal Indian immigrants has reached India. The first batch of these undocumented Indians arrived in India on the American C-147 aircraft. A total of 104 Indians were on board.
This aircraft landed at Amritsar Airport, where the police and administration remain vigilant. The Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar confirmed that the plane landed at the airport at exactly 1:59 PM, Wednesday.
An official from the US Embassy at the airport stated that the plane contained 104 Indians, including 79 men and 25 women, along with 13 children. Among these Indians, 33 are from Gujarat who will remain stationed at the airport before being directly transferred to Gujarat.
State-wise Distribution: Punjab (30), Haryana (33), Gujarat (33)...
According to reports, the Indians deported from America were captured at the Mexico-American border. They reportedly started their journey legally but attempted to enter America through the Donkey Route.
There is no basis for arresting these individuals upon arrival in India as they have not violated any Indian laws.
Details of Deportation by State:
This plane contains 30 from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, 33 from Gujarat, 3 from Maharashtra, 3 from Uttar Pradesh, and 2 from Chandigarh. The US Air Force's C-17 Globemaster aircraft took off from a military base near Texas, carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants.
In the past, the Trump administration has used military aircraft for deporting illegal immigrants from countries like Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras.
On January 27, following a conversation over the phone with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trump mentioned that India would take appropriate steps to bring the illegal Indian immigrants back home. An estimated 18,000 illegal Indian immigrants are currently in the US and are expected to be deported to India. After Trump’s administration began, the Indian government expressed its intention to collaborate with the US to resolve this issue.
The Trump administration had previously deported illegal immigrants from Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras. The US Department of Defense, Pentagon, has also started returning over 5000 illegal immigrants detained in places like El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California, back to their respective countries.
Pew Research Center statistics indicate that about 725,000 illegal Indian immigrants reside in the US, making them the third largest group of illegal immigrants after Mexicans and Salvadorans.
Last month, the Indian government stated its readiness to take back any Indian citizens residing illegally in America. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar mentioned that India is investigating how many Indians are living illegally in the US and if they can be repatriated.
Largest Deportation Program in US History
Upon assuming office, Donald Trump initiated the largest deportation program in American history, aiming to repatriate illegal immigrants to their countries. A Bloomberg report last week revealed that India and the US have identified approximately 18,000 Indians residing illegally in the US.
Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with India's Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, expressing a desire to find a resolution to the unauthorized immigrants' issue.
