Illegal Indian Immigrants Return Live Updates: US plane carrying over 100 deported Indians lands in Amritsar amid Trump’s immigration crackdown

Family members of illegal immigrants from Gujarat who were deported from the US have claimed they do not know how their kin reached the foreign soil.

Former deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel expressed sympathy for the deported Gujaratis, underlining the fact that they had gone to the foreign country looking for a job or career, and they should not be portrayed as criminals.

A US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants landed at Amritsar in Punjab in the afternoon. Sources said that 33 of the 104 deportees are from Gujarat.

Kanubhai Patel, whose daughter is among the deportees, claimed she had gone to Europe for a vacation with her friends a month ago.

"I have no idea what she planned after reaching Europe. The last time we talked with her was January 14. We have no idea how she reached the US," said Patel, a resident of Chandranagar-Dabhla village in Mehsana district.

Another deportee belongs to Luna village of Vadodara district. Her uncle Pravin Patel told reporters that she left for the US a month ago.

"She lives nearby, in the same village. She got married a year ago and went to the US last month. We only know that she has been deported. We don't know the reason behind her deportation," he said.

(PTI)

In an interview with The Indian Express, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said, "I think the US is entirely entitled to deport those people who they deem to be illegally present in their country and whose nationality can be established beyond doubt. So these are Indians, and they are in another country without authorisation, then India has a legal obligation to take them back. But I do believe it would have been better for the US to have sent these people on a regular commercial flight, or if necessary, on a civilian charter, than doing so on a military aircraft."

"On the question of Indian citizens being brought back to India, definitely that’s where they belong. They should be back at home," he said. Read More

CPI(ML) Liberation MP Raja Ram Singh has sought the Centre's intervention to safeguard the interest of Indians in the US and urged the government to clarify its stance on the deportation of suspected illegal immigrants.

In a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, the MP from Bihar's Karakat said the Indian government's assurance to the US to take back 18,000 immigrants labelled as "illegal" set a dangerous precedent.

"This development, deeply ironic, given the historical and economic context of immigration in the US. Indian professionals and workers have been instrumental in driving innovation, growth, and profitability for US corporations, particularly in sectors such as IT, health care, and engineering. It is ironical that US companies and economy has thrived and made profits on the back of immigration," Singh said in the letter dated February 4.

"Since the time Donald Trump, the current president of the US, has taken oath, a spectre of xenophobic hate against immigrants was seen. His election speeches and promises made to the American public were filled with anti-immigrant hate, especially on issues like H-1B visa and others that affect Indians," he said.

Singh's appeal comes in the wake of US law enforcement agencies launching a crackdown on illegal immigrants after Trump took office as president last month.

(PTI)

The Congress claimed on Wednesday that Indians being deported from the US were “handcuffed and humiliated”.

The statement from the principal Opposition party comes a day after a United States military plane began deporting Indian migrants, implementing directions issued by President Donald Trump against an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in that country. Reuters reported that the C-17 aircraft carrying 205 Indian nationals departed from San Antonio, Texas. Sources said the passengers include those from Gujarat, Punjab, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.

Pawan Khera, chairman of the Congress party’s media and publicity department, said, “Looking at the pictures of Indians getting handcuffed and humiliated while being deported from the US saddens me as an Indian.” Read More

Looking at the pictures of Indians getting handcuffed and humiliated while being deported from the US saddens me as an Indian.

I remember in December of 2013, an Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade was handcuffed and strip searched in America.

▪️Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh…

— Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 (@Pawankhera) February 5, 2025