A US military plane, carrying 205 illegal migrants being deported to India, is scheduled to land at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar, at 8 am tomorrow, sources said. The migrants reportedly took off from San Antonio, Texas.
Most of the migrants being deported are from Punjab and neighbouring states. This is the first such deportation to India in Donald Trump’s second tenure as US President. He took oath on January 20. The US is using a C-17 Globemaster military plane to carry the 205 migrants.
Editorial: Return of the natives
The plane is expected to refuel at the Ramstein air base in Germany during its journey to Amritsar.
Upon arrival, the deportees will undergo verification of documents. However, no directions have been issued to detain these individuals. All necessary checks will be conducted before they are allowed to leave the airport.
Police teams deputed to collect details
- Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said the govt would check the migrants’ criminal antecedents and take action accordingly
- Teams have been deputed to collect details from the deportees regarding their illegal migration, including donkey routes and role played by travel agents in their journey
Most from region
- Most of the migrants being deported belong to Punjab and neighbouring states
- Some suspicious elements too could be among them
- The US is using a C-17 Globemaster military plane to ferry the 205 migrants
Tightening laws: US
The US is vigorously enforcing immigration laws and removing illegal migrants. These actions send a clear message: Illegal migration is not worth the risk. US embassy
Sources said there could be some suspicious elements among them. A top police official said on condition of anonymity that special identification counters had been set up at the arrival point by the immigration and intelligence authorities. Punjab Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal has termed the deportation a serious issue. The Minister for NRI Affairs emphasised that the Centre should take the matter seriously.
He said these individuals, who had contributed to the US economy, should have been granted permanent residency instead of being deported. He said he was planning to meet the External Affairs Minister next week to discuss the concerns and interests of Punjabis living in the US.
It is for the first time that the US is using a military plane to deport illegal migrants to India. In the past, all deportations to India have been on board commercial planes. A spokesperson for the US embassy in New Delhi said, “The US is vigorously enforcing its border, tightening immigration laws, and removing illegal migrants. These actions send a clear message: Illegal migration is not worth the risk.” In November 2024, the US had shared a list of 18,000 illegal migrants, who, it said, needed to be deported to India. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has already made it clear that New Delhi does not endorse illegal migration. In January, when Jaishankar visited the US for Trump’s swearing-in, he had said India supported legal mobility as “we do believe in a global workplace. We want Indian talent and Indian skills to have the maximum opportunity at the global level”. “We are firmly opposed to illegal mobility and illegal migration,” Jaishankar had said.
President Trump has increasingly turned to the military to help carry out his immigration agenda, including using military aircraft to deport migrants and opening military bases to house them. The Pentagon has also started providing flights to deport more than 5,000 immigrants held by the US authorities in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California. So far, US military aircraft have flown migrants to Guatemala, Peru and Honduras, all within a couple of hours flying distance from the US.
