The US has taken 68 Indian nationals, most of them from Punjab, into custody on the charges of trying to enter the country illegally near Seattle in this American state.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) said the Indians were at its contract detention centre in Tacoma. ICE western regional spokesperson Virginia Kice said while their arrest dates varied widely, most had been taken into custody this year and almost half detained in the past 30 days.
"They were trying to sneak illegally into the US from across the border," said Satnam Singh Chahal, director of US-based North American Punjabi Association (NAPA), which obtained the information from the ICE. "Most of them hail from Punjab," he added.
When undocumented immigrants move through government-run detention centers in the US, it can take months before they find out if they'll be deported or allowed to stay in the country, Chahal has said, adding: "During this long wait, many become frustrated."