These deportations will continue every two weeks
As part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration, 119 Indian illegal migrants are to be sent back to India in a military aircraft.
The flight will land at Punjab’s Amritsar International Airport on February 15, 2025.
The C-17 US military aircraft will carry 67 people from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three Uttar Pradesh natives, two each from Rajasthan, Goa, and Maharashtra, and one each native of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
The flight is expected to arrive at Amristar airport around 10 pm.
This comes after 104 Indians were deported from the United States.
These deportations will continue every two weeks until every illegal migrant has returned to their homeland.
This comes amid Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, where he met Trump to discuss several key bilateral issues, including immigration.
At a press conference, Modi stated that India is ready to take back citizens living illegally in America.
He said most of those staying in the US illegally come from ordinary families, often misguided by human traffickers.
Modi said: “They are shown big dreams and most of them are such who are misled and brought here.
“So, we should attack this entire system of human trafficking. Together, it should be the effort of the US and India to destroy such an ecosystem from its roots so that human trafficking ends.
“Our bigger fight is against that entire ecosystem, and we are confident that President Trump will fully cooperate with India in finishing this ecosystem.”
The first deportation flight sparked controversy, with attention centred on the treatment of Indian migrants.
The handcuffing and shackling of deportees has been justified by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a standard security protocol used on deportation flights to prevent escape attempts or disruptions.
However, many have argued that such a practice is excessive and inhuman, especially for people who have committed no crimes beyond immigration violations.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India is engaging with US officials to ensure that the deportees are given dignified treatment.
He further emphasised that while immigration laws must be upheld, humane treatment should be not a compromise.
As US immigration laws continue to be tightened, India will have to find ways to curb illegal migration with the help of stronger border management and diplomatic negotiations.
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