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A recent US deportation flight carrying approximately 100 Indian nationals who allegedly entered the country unlawfully has arrived in Punjab, India. The military aircraft departed from Texas on Tuesday and landed in Amritsar, where local authorities have implemented procedures to facilitate the processing of these deportees.
The mass deportation initiative has been a significant component of President Donald Trump’s immigration policy. Reports indicate that the US has identified around 18,000 Indian nationals suspected of illegal entry into the country.
Trump has publicly stated that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured him of India’s willingness to “do what’s right” in handling the deportations from the US.
In Punjab, special counters have been established to assist the deportees, with officials committing to treat individuals in a welcoming manner. Journalists have gathered in the vicinity, stationed outside police barriers near a facility belonging to the Indian Air Force in Amritsar.
The flight is carrying 104 deportees, who will be processed distinctly from other travelers before boarding buses to return to their respective home states, which include Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat.
President Trump has increasingly utilized military aircraft for repatriating individuals to their countries of origin. However, flights to India for deportations are not a recent development; during the US fiscal year 2024, which concluded in September, more than 1,000 Indian nationals were repatriated using both charter and commercial flights.
In October, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted another deportation flight, sending over 100 Indian nationals without legal grounds to remain in the country back to India, reflecting a growing trend in removals to that nation. This flight similarly landed in Punjab, close to the origins of many deportees, although specific home towns were not disclosed.
Migration patterns from India to the United States largely stem from Punjab, which is predominantly Sikh, and neighboring Haryana, both of which have historically experienced significant outward migration. Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Modi, also contributes to this demographic.
Royce Bernstein Murray, an assistant secretary at the US Department of Homeland Security, highlighted during a media briefing that there has been a consistent increase in the removal of Indian nationals from the US over recent years, coinciding with a rise in encounters involving Indian nationals at the borders. These encounters are defined as instances when non-citizens are intercepted by US authorities while attempting to enter the country via Mexico or Canada.
From 2018 to 2023, ICE deported a total of 5,477 Indian nationals, with the peak occurring in 2020 when over 2,300 individuals were sent back. The estimation of undocumented Indian immigrants in the US varies significantly among sources. According to Pew Research Center, there were about 725,000 undocumented Indians in the US as of 2022, making them the third-largest group after nationals from Mexico and El Salvador. Conversely, the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) estimates the number at 375,000, placing India fifth in terms of origin countries for undocumented immigrants.
As of November, an estimated 1.44 million non-citizens were on ICE’s “non-detained docket with final orders of removal.” The largest groups awaiting deportation primarily come from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico, each representing over 200,000 individuals. In comparison, India has around 17,940 cases pending.
The ongoing challenges related to deportations stem from issues of compliance and cooperation with foreign nations. ICE’s records indicate that there are currently 15 countries categorized as “uncooperative,” which includes India, China, Iran, Russia, and Venezuela. There are additional countries considered at risk of non-compliance, hindering ICE’s efforts to carry out removals.
As stated by India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, the country is “firmly opposed to illegal migration, especially as it relates to organized crime.” Jaiswal emphasized that the Indian government is actively cooperating with the US to discourage illegal migration while simultaneously seeking to expand opportunities for legal migration. He noted the importance of verifying the identities of individuals prior to their deportation back to India.
Last year, under the administration of former President Joe Biden, over 271,000 migrants were deported to 192 different nations.
Source
www.bbc.com