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Amid US President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration, a second US plane carrying 119 deported Indian nationals is expected to arrive at Punjab's Amritsar airport around 10 pm today. Among them, 67 are from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Goa, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
A third plane carrying the deportees is also expected to land in India tomorrow.
The deportations are likely to continue on a bi-weekly basis, with similar flights bringing back Indian nationals in the coming weeks until all undocumented immigrants have returned.
The first US military plane carrying 104 deported Indians landed on February 5. Of them, 33 each were from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh. Many of these migrants had spent a huge amount of money on promises of legal entry into the US. Instead, they endured gruelling, multi-country treks arranged by human traffickers.
As the Indians landed, many horror stories followed about the manner in which they were transported from the US to India. A video shared by the US Border Patrol also showed the migrants being handcuffed and their legs shackled. As they deboarded the plane, visuals showed the Indians made to a shuffled walk - something that is commonly associated with hardened criminals.
The manner of these deportations triggered a furious response from the Opposition in India, who questioned why the Centre could not send a plane to bring back its citizens in a "humane manner". Amid this furore, they have yet again raised questions over how the second batch of Indians would be deported.
"All eyes will be on the US aircraft which will land today in Amritsar bringing back illegal immigrants. Will the deportees be handcuffed and their legs tied with ropes? It is a test for Indian diplomacy," Congress leader P Chidambaram said.
All eyes will be on the U.S. aircraft which will land today in Amritsar bringing back illegal immigrants.
Will the deportees be handcuffed and their legs tied with ropes?
It is a test for Indian diplomacy
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) February 15, 2025
Centre's response
Last week, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had responded to the Opposition's criticism saying that the deportations by the US were organised and executed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - which provides the use of restraints.
"However, we have been informed by ICE that women and children are not restrained. Further, the needs of deportees including during transit, related to food and other necessities, including possible medical emergencies are attended to. During toilet breaks, deportees are temporarily unrestrained if needed in that regard," he said.
The minister also informed that such actions by the US authorities were "not new" and revealed the data of the deported Indians in the last 15 years. A total of 15,756 illegal Indian immigrants have been deported to India from the US since 2009 - of which 2019 saw the most number of deportations (2,042), followed by 1,889 in 2020, the year when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world.
Punjab Chief Minister vs Centre
As the second batch of deported Indians is set to land in Amritsar today, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann criticised the Centre, accusing the BJP-led central government of deliberately trying to "defame" the state by choosing Amritsar as the landing site for the flights. According to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, it is a "part of conspiracy" by the BJP government.
"A second plane carrying Indian citizens who allegedly illegally migrated to the US will land in Amritsar tomorrow. The Ministry of External Affairs should tell the criteria based on which Amritsar was selected to land the aircraft. You select Amritsar to defame Punjab. So, at the time when PM Modi and US President Donald Trump were meeting, they (US authorities) must have been putting shackles on our people. Is this the gift Trump has given?" Mr Mann questioned while addressing the media in Amritsar on Friday evening.
"The BJP-led Centre always discriminates against Punjab. It does not let go of any chance of defaming the state...As part of a conspiracy, they are trying to defame Punjab and Punjabis," he added.
However, the BJP slammed Mr Mann, accusing him of politicising the issue.
"Amritsar is the closest international airport for flights entering India from the USA. That's why the US plane carrying illegal immigrants is landing there. Stop politicizing the issue and promoting conspiracy theories due to your lack of knowledge," BJP national spokesperson RP Singh wrote in a post on X.
Amritsar is the closest international airport for flights entering India from the USA. That's why the US plane carrying illegal immigrants is landing there. Stop politicizing the issue and promoting conspiracy theories due to your lack of knowledge. @BhagwantMann.
— RP Singh National Spokesperson BJP (@rpsinghkhalsa) February 15, 2025
BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal called out the Arvind Kejriwal-led party, accusing its leaders of "not caring" about the country's security.
"Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann should avoid doing politics on such sensitive issues. AAP leaders do not care about the security of the country; they only do politics," he said.