The United States has deported 104 illegal Indian immigrants on a military flight to Amritsar, the capital of Punjab, amid President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
The deportees, including women and children, faced harrowing journeys and financial losses, reported the Times of India.
This comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US next week, raising questions on the handling of India’s undocumented nationals.
On Wednesday afternoon, the US military aircraft carrying the 104 illegal Indian immigrants touched down at Amritsar’s Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport. They were among the first batch to be deported under the Trump administration’s intensified stance on illegal immigration.
The passengers, including 19 women and 13 children, had endured a long and difficult journey, only to be shackled throughout their flight until arriving in India, reported the Times of India.
Among the deportees was 36-year-old Jaspal Singh from Hardorwal village in Punjab, who told the Press Trust of India that he was handcuffed and had his legs chained during the entire journey back.
He added that, initially, he had no idea he was being sent back to India. “We thought we were being taken to another camp, then a police officer told us we were going to India,” he said.
Mr Jaspal, like many others on the flight, had been deceived by a travel agent who promised him legal entry into the US. “I had asked the agent to send me with a proper visa, but he deceived me. The deal was finalised for Rs30 lakh ($46,000),” he explained.
His journey began in Brazil, where he was forced to cross the border into the US illegally after being stranded there for six months. He was arrested by the US Border Patrol on Jan 24 and held in custody for 11 days before being deported.
Mr Jaspal reflected on the emotional toll the deportation took on him. “A huge sum was spent, and money was borrowed. It’s all gone now,” he said, his voice heavy with disappointment.
The hardships faced by the deportees were not limited to their detainment in the US. Many had undertaken perilous journeys across several countries, often relying on dangerous and illegal routes to enter the US, reported the Times of India.
Mr Harwinder Singh, another deportee from Hoshiarpur, recounted his ordeal of travelling across Qatar, Brazil, Peru, and several other countries before reaching Mexico. From there, he joined a group of immigrants attempting to cross into the US.
“We crossed hills. A boat, which was carrying us, almost capsized in the sea. We survived, but I saw one person die in the Panama jungle and another drowned in the sea,” Mr Harwinder said.
He spent Rs42 lakh on his journey, only to be caught by the US Border Patrol.
The deportations are part of the Trump administration’s broader strategy to clamp down on illegal immigration, which includes the controversial use of military aircraft for transporting deported migrants.
Critics, including members of India’s Congress Party, have expressed outrage over the images of Indians being handcuffed and shackled during deportation. India’s two houses of parliament were adjourned within minutes of convening for the day as the Opposition demanded a discussion on the “deeply distressing and humiliating” manner of deportation.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said Indians have been deported before too, but never in the manner immigrants were transported from US to India. “This is never a manner that Indians were deported. Handcuffing of our people is an insult,” he said.
India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday to discuss the deportation issue. He was expected to deliver a statement in Parliament on the matter later in the day.
