Punjab has the highest number of deportees returning to India, with 67 individuals returning from the US. Following Punjab are Haryana (33), Gujarat (8), Uttar Pradesh (3), Maharashtra (2), Goa (2), Rajasthan (2) and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, reported PTI.
How did these deportees reach the US?
The deportees expected to return to India entered the United States through Mexico and other routes. It is alleged that these deportees tore their passports after crossing the US border illegally.
The two flights scheduled to reach on February 15 and February 16 will mark the second tranche of deportees returning to India after US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants.
First tranche of deportees
On February 5, a US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal immigrants from various states landed in Amritsar. Out of the deported individuals, 33 were from Haryana and Gujarat each, followed by Punjab with 30 deportees, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, while two were from Chandigarh.
Outrage after the arrival of first tranche of deportees
After the arrival of the first tranche, claims were made that the deportees were handcuffed on the journey. This led to nationwide outrage, and the opposition parties criticised the government over the mistreatment towards 104 illegal Indian immigrants who landed in Amritsar.
The deportees included 19 women, who were shackled for 40 hours and had limited access to the toilet during their transportation, Congress Party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala claimed.
“Is this indicative of how one behaves with terrorists or militants, or is this a humane way to deal with Indians,” he said.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar addressed the issue of US deportations during Parliament’s budget session. He claimed that the standard operating procedure (SOP) has been in effect since 2012 and is also being followed this time.
Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration
On January 22, Donald Trump signed an executive order that “suspends the physical entry of aliens engaged in an invasion of the United States through the southern border.”
How many Indian illegal immigrants have been identified?
In January, India and the US have identified almost 18,000 Indian illegal immigrants who were to be sent back, Bloomberg reported. However, the actual number of illegal immigrants living in the US is still unclear.
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