US Deports 220 Indians In 10 Days as Second Military Flight Lands In Amritsar

A US military aircraft carrying 116 Indian nationals who had entered the United States illegally arrived in Punjab's Amritsar late on Saturday (15 February) night.

This marks the second group of Indian deportees sent back under the Donald Trump administration's crackdown against illegal immigration.

According to news agency PTI, a C-17 military aircraft touched down in Amritsar at around 11.35 pm, nearly 90 minutes later than scheduled.

Once immigration, verification, and background check procedures are completed, the deportees will be permitted to return to their respective homes.

The 116 deportees hail from Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, India Today reported.

Additionally, some of the deportees are from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir.

A third deportation flight, carrying 157 Indian nationals, is scheduled to arrive in Amritsar today (16 February).

The arrival of these deportees follows an announcement by the central government stating that US authorities have identified 487 more Indian nationals living illegally in the country, who are slated for deportation in the near future.

Speaking at a press conference, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that the US government has officially informed New Delhi about "487 presumed Indian nationals" who have received deportation orders.

He further suggested that the number of deportees may increase as additional details come to light, though US officials have not yet disclosed specifics about other individuals.

Earlier, on 5 February, a US plane carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants landed in Amritsar.

Among these 104 deportees, 33 were from Haryana, 33 from Gujarat, and 30 from Punjab.

Many of those deported stated that they had attempted to migrate to the US in search of a better future for their families.

However, they were caught at the US border after using ‘donkey routes’—a dangerous and illegal method commonly employed by migrants to enter the country—often after paying large sums of money to smugglers.

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