Amritsar: A second flight carrying 130 Indians deported from the US is scheduled to arrive at Amritsar airport at 10 pm on Saturday. However, it is still uncertain whether the deportees will be flown in on a US aircraft or a flight arranged by the Indian government.
This will be the second batch of Indians to be deported from the US since Donald Trump was sworn in as President last month. Earlier this month, a US military plane arrived in Amritsar with 104 illegal immigrants from various Indian states. The Trump administration deported them as part of its crackdown on illegal immigration.
Plane to land in Amritsar
Sources said that another plane carrying illegal Indian immigrants will land at Amritsar airport tonight. The previous US flight, which brought 104 deported individuals, also landed in Amritsar. Most of the deportees were from Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat.
The issue sparked significant uproar in Parliament. The opposition alleged that the deported NRIs had been handcuffed and shackled. In response, the government had to provide a clarification. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in Parliament that the process was not new, as the US has been deporting illegal immigrants for years. He also presented year-by-year data on such deportations.
PM Modi defends deportation
Meanwhile, during his US visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated that India will accept its citizens who are living illegally in the US. Addressing the issue, he said that illegal immigration is not just an Indian concern but a global problem. He said that people residing illegally in other countries have no legal right to stay there.
Regarding India and the US, Modi said that if an individual’s Indian citizenship is verified and they are found to be living illegally in America, India is prepared to take them back. On the other hand, on the return of illegal NRIs, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has accused the Centre of defaming Punjab. He has said that landing the plane of immigrants in Punjab is wrong.
