A US military aircraft carrying over 100 illegal Indian immigrants landed at the Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport in Amritsar on Wednesday (Feb 5) at 1.55 pm.
According to reports, the US military plane C-17 took off from San Antonio, Texas carrying 104 illegal immigrants belonging to Punjab and neighbouring states. This marks the first deportation to India under the presidency of Donald Trump.
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US military plane carrying illegal Indian immigrants lands in Amritsar
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According to PTI, 29 of the deportees are from Punjab, 33 each from Haryana and Gujarat, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh and two from Chandigarh.
Who is on board the US military plane?
As per the passenger list, the plane included 25 women and 79 men. The aircraft had 13 minors, with the youngest being a four-year-old.
Reportedly, the deportees will undergo a document verification process before they are allowed to leave the airport. Although no order has been issued to detain them.
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US crackdown against illegal immigrants
US President Donald Trump has vowed to take strict actions against all illegal immigrants in the country. So far his administration has deported illegal immigrants to Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras.
Many people from India’s Punjab and other states, who entered the US soil through illegal means and “donkey routes” are now facing deportation.
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India has taken a call to oppose illegal immigration. Last month, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said “India is opposed to illegal immigration because of its links to several forms of organised crime.” He added that New Delhi will take back all illegal Indian immigrants.
“We will take them back provided documents are shared with us so that we can verify their nationality, that they are indeed Indians,” he said.
Reportedly, an estimated of 18,000 illegal immigrants from India have been identified by the US authorities for deportation.
(With inputs from agencies)