Two batches of undocumented Indian immigrants have been deported from the United States to Amritsar, India. The second batch, comprising 116 individuals, reported being handcuffed and chained during the flight, while women were not subjected to these restraints. This mirrors the treatment of the first batch of 104 individuals deported on February 5th. The deportations follow President Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration.
The treatment of the deportees has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition, who questioned the Indian government's response. One deportee, Daljit Singh, described being handcuffed and shackled on the plane. Another, Sourav, recounted being caught by American authorities after being misled by a travel agent. Following the first batch's arrival, the Punjab Police established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe human trafficking, resulting in 10 FIRs against travel agents.
The deportees hailed from various Indian states, with a majority from Punjab and Haryana. Following immigration checks, those from Punjab were returned home in police vehicles. Two individuals, wanted in connection with a 2023 murder, were arrested upon arrival. A third batch of deportees was expected to arrive later.
The article highlights the significant issue of illegal migration from India, particularly from Punjab, driven by the desire for better economic prospects. A lack of readily available data on the scale of illegal migration is also noted.
Indians deported from the U.S. being escorted by the police as they leave the airport upon their arrival, in Amritsar, early Sunday on February 16 , 2025. | Photo Credit: PTI
The second batch, comprising 116 undocumented Indian immigrants, deported on the U.S. C-17 aircraft that landed at Punjabâs Amritsar International Airport on Saturday (February 15, 2025) night said they were handcuffed and chained during the journey.
Sources said the women on the flight were not handcuffed or chained this time, unlike the previous deportation flight from the U.S. to Amritsar.
Also read | Punjab ministers meet illegal Indian immigrants who were deported from US to Amritsar
The deportations follow President Donald Trumpâs recent crackdown on illegal immigrants. Earlier, on February 5, a U.S. military plane brought 104 illegal immigrants in handcuffs and chains to Amritsar, inviting sharp criticism from several quarters.
Talking to media persons in Hoshiarpur, Daljit Singh, one of the deportees, said that they were âhandcuffed with their legs chainedâ in the aircraft. Mr. Singh said he was duped by a travel agent who, instead of directly taking him to the U.S., resorted to the âdunki (donkey)â route to illegally enter the United States.
âWe were handcuffed and our legs were chained during the journey,â Mr. Singh said in Hoshiarpur on Sunday. He hails from Kurala Kalan village in Hoshiarpur district.
After the first batch of deportees arrived, the Opposition had questioned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre on why the migrants had been âdeported in shacklesâ.
According to officials, of the 116 deportees, 65 were from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, two each from Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. Another plane, with the third batch of deportees, is expected to arrive on the night of February 16 at Amritsar airport, sources said.
Sourav, 27, hailing from Chandiwala village in Ferozepur district, also said that the deportees were handcuffed and chained during their journey to Amritsar. âWe were handcuffed and our legs were shackled,â he said in response to a question from media persons.
Sharing his ordeal, Mr. Sourav, who left for the U.S. in December 2024, said the travel agent had assured him legal entry to the U.S., but instead, he had been taken to the U.S. border through Mexico, and while crossing the border, the American authorities caught him on January 27. âThey kept me along with others in a camp for several days. Two days ago, we were told that we were being sent to India on a plane,â he said.
On February 15, ahead of the second flight from the U.S., senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member P. Chidambaram took to social media platform X to target the Union government. âAll eyes will be on the U.S. aircraft which will land today [Saturday] in Amritsar bringing back illegal immigrants. Will the deportees be handcuffed and their legs tied with ropes? It is a test for Indian diplomacy,â Mr. Chidambaram said in his post.
After immigration and background checks, the deportees from Punjab were taken to their homes in police vehicles. The Haryana government also made transportation arrangements for the deportees from Haryana.
From among the deportees, the Punjab Police arrested two youths, Sandeep Singh and Pradeep Singh, hailing from Rajpura in Patiala district. They are wanted in connection with a murder case of 2023, Patialaâs Senior Superintendent of Police Nanak Singh said.
A large number of people, especially youth from Punjab, travel abroad in the hope of a better life, including a rising trend of considerable magnitude in illegal migration. However, there is a paucity of authentic data on illegal migration in the public domain.Â
The Punjab Police set up a Special Investigation Team to probe illegal human trafficking and migration after the deportation of 104 migrants from the U.S. in the first batch. So far, 10 First Information Reports have been registered against travel agents based on the statements of deportees.
Published - February 16, 2025 12:19 pm IST
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