Indian Deportees Land In Amritsar

A US military plane carrying 104, not 205, illegal Indian immigrants, including 13 children, landed in Amritsar on Wednesday amid President Donald Trump's crackdown on undocumented aliens in America.

The C-17 US military aircraft, which took off from San Antonio, Texas yesterday, landed at the Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport today at 1.59 pm. Police and civil administration officials were present to receive the 104 individuals comprising 79 men and 25 women. A representative from the US Embassy was also at the airport.

Earlier reports said that there were 205 Indians on board the military aircraft, but it was confirmed later that there were only 104. Of these illegal immigrants, 33 each are from Haryana and Gujarat; 30 from Punjab; three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh; and two are from Chandigarh.

According to sources, the plane has brought illegal immigrants with their hands and feet cuffed. During initial questioning, the deportees told authorities that they had used different agents and stayed at multiple locations before being apprehended.

“Local authorities, along with central agencies, have begun questioning them upon their arrival. Allegations range from visa violations to involvement in unauthorised networks. Some were misled by agents, while others unknowingly became part of a larger scheme," the official added.

“The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is closely monitoring the situation, working alongside law enforcement agencies (LEAs) to determine the next steps. Whether they will be prosecuted or not will be decided after an initial round of questioning by different agencies," the official stated.

Sources said, most of the deported individuals were caught at the US-Mexico border. The deportees are not offenders in India, as they might have used the legal route to leave the country, but tried entering the US via the illegal "donkey" route, they said. There is also no ground for arrest as they have not violated Indian laws. The sources added that if their passports were not available, they could be identified using biometrics.