Thursday, February 19, 2026
ADVT 
India

First batch of 104 illegal Indian immigrants reaches Punjab

Darpan News Desk IANS, 05 Feb, 2025 04:49 PM
  • First batch of 104 illegal Indian immigrants reaches Punjab

Amritsar, Feb 5 (IANS) A US military aircraft carrying the first batch of 104 illegal Indian immigrants, with the highest number of 33 each from Haryana and Gujarat, reached Amritsar in Punjab on Wednesday.

A total of 30 deportees were residents of Punjab. The US military C-17 aircraft landed at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport amid tight security.

Three each from Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra while two from Chandigarh. The deportees include 25 women and 12 minors, with the youngest passenger being just four years old.

Forty-eight people are below the age of 25. The flight, which took off from Texas on Tuesday, also carried 11 crew members and 45 US officials overseeing the deportation process.

A senior Punjab official said that most deportees from the state belong to Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Jalandhar, Nawanshahr, Patiala, Mohali and Sangrur. Some of them had entered the US illegally, while others overstayed their visas.

They were deported on the C-17 plane that took off from San Antonio, Texas. This was the first round of deportation of illegal immigrants that coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington next week.

This will be PM Modi's first visit after Donald Trump took over as US President for the second time. External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar had earlier said that New Delhi is open to the "legitimate return" of Indian nationals living illegally abroad, including in the US.

India has expressed readiness to accept these migrants, post-verification, EAM Jaishankar conveyed this to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last month.

"For the first time in history, we are locating and loading illegal aliens into military aircraft and flying them back to the places from which they came," President Trump told reporters last month.

Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal has expressed disappointment over the US decision to deport the Indians, saying they have contributed to the US economy and should have been granted permanent residency, instead of being deported.

Approximately 7,25,000 illegal immigrants from India live in the US, making it the third-largest population of unauthorised immigrants after Mexico and El Salvador, according to data from the Pew Research Centre.

Many people from Punjab, who are now facing deportation, had entered the US through the "donkey route" or other illegal means by spending lakhs of rupees. The US administration has launched a crackdown against illegal immigrants after Trump became the President.

Photo courtesy of Simple Flying 

 

MORE India ARTICLES

Punjab to speed up drive against illicit liquor trade

Punjab to speed up drive against illicit liquor trade
Stressing on the need to sensitise the common man against the illicit liquor trade for realising the Rangla Punjab mission of the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led government, Kaler said the Excise Department and the excise police would soon launch an awareness campaign against it.

Punjab to speed up drive against illicit liquor trade

Adhir Ranjan, Hardeep Puri cross swords in LS over Ujjwala subsidy

Adhir Ranjan, Hardeep Puri cross swords in LS over Ujjwala subsidy
The drama took place during Question Hour, when BJP MP from Balaghat, Dhal Singh Bisen sought to know from Puri, the quantum of loss faced by the government as several Ujjwala beneficiaries have failed to get a second refill of their cylinders and whether the government will increase the subsidy amount to ensure refill of Ujjwala cylinders.

Adhir Ranjan, Hardeep Puri cross swords in LS over Ujjwala subsidy

NIA arrests terror accused Bikramjit Singh after extradition from Austria

NIA arrests terror accused Bikramjit Singh after extradition from Austria
An NIA official said that Bikramajit had formed a terror group to carry out terror attacks in Punjab along with with his close associates. He was absconding in a terror case lodged by the NIA.

NIA arrests terror accused Bikramjit Singh after extradition from Austria

Sisters burnt to death after falling into tub of hot rice residue in J'khand

Sisters burnt to death after falling into tub of hot rice residue in J'khand
According to sources, hot water (maad) of rice was kept in an open tub after the mid-day meal was cooked in Chhechani Middle School of Sellari Panchayat situated near an Anganwadi centre. The incident took place on November 24 when the victims who studied in the centre wandered near the school ground while playing and fell into the tub.

Sisters burnt to death after falling into tub of hot rice residue in J'khand

UP is a model for the whole world: Melinda Gates

UP is a model for the whole world: Melinda Gates
During the meeting, Gates lauded the work done by Uttar Pradesh government in recent years, underlining the Covid management and encephalitis control despite a dense population. "Uttar Pradesh is a model not only for India, but for the whole world," she said.

UP is a model for the whole world: Melinda Gates

PM Modi, Shah remember Baba Saheb on his death anniversary

PM Modi, Shah remember Baba Saheb on his death anniversary
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minster Amit Shah on Tuesday paid tributes to the Father of the Indian Constitution Bhim Rao Ambedkar on his death anniversary. Modi took to Twitter and expressed his gratitude for Ambedkar's work. 

PM Modi, Shah remember Baba Saheb on his death anniversary