The third batch of Indian nationals deported from the United States arrived at Amritsar airport on Sunday, with authorities facilitating their transfer to their respective states.
Visuals from outside the airport showed the deportees boarding buses en route to their homes. According to Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney, the flight carried 112 Indian nationals who had allegedly entered the United States illegally.
"112 people have come in this flight. Their immigration is going on right now. Whatever they needed, food, diapers, formula, we have provided everything. We have arranged for everything. Arrangements have been made for them to go home. So, immigration is being conducted and it will take quite some time," Sawhney told mediapersons.
When asked about the number of women and children among the deportees, Sawhney said, "We will share the data. Let us finish the immigration."
This latest arrival comes a day after another flight carrying Indian deportees landed at Amritsar airport. The deportees will remain in Amritsar for a few hours before being sent to their respective states, with travel arrangements coordinated by the Ministry of External Affairs.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann assured that the deportees would be treated properly and all necessary provisions had been made.
Also read: Third batch of deportees to land in Amritsar on Sunday night
"Our kids are the ones who are coming here anyway, so from here no one can go hungry, we will make arrangements. We have also made staying arrangements for them. They will stay here for a few hours and then go to their respective states as the flights have been booked by the Ministry of External Affairs already," Mann said during a press conference in Amritsar on Saturday.
This is the second such flight of Indian deportees arriving in Amritsar since the inauguration of US President Donald Trump. The first, carrying over 100 Indian nationals, landed on 5 February, triggering a political uproar in India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reiterated India's willingness to accept its nationals living illegally in the United States and underscored the importance of dismantling the human trafficking network responsible for misleading vulnerable individuals.
"Those who stay in other countries illegally do not have any legal right to be there. As far as India and the US are concerned, we have always said that those who are verified and are truly the citizens of India - if they live in the US illegally, India is ready to take them back," Modi stated during a joint press conference with Trump following their bilateral talks on 13 February.
He emphasised the plight of ordinary families misled by traffickers, saying, "These are people from ordinary families. They are shown big dreams and most of them are such who are misled and brought here. So, we should attack this entire system of human trafficking. Together, it should be the effort of the US and India to destroy such an ecosystem from its roots so that human trafficking ends... Our bigger fight is against that entire ecosystem, and we are confident that President Trump will fully cooperate with India in finishing this ecosystem."
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, addressing Parliament on 6 February, reaffirmed India's commitment to accepting its nationals and confirmed that the government was engaging with US authorities to ensure the deportees were treated humanely.
"It is the obligation of all nations to take back their nationals if they are found to be residing there illegally," Jaishankar said in the Rajya Sabha, adding that efforts were underway to safeguard the deportees' rights and dignity.
Also read: Third US plane with 112 Indian deportees lands at Amritsar Airport
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