E-Paper
'This isn't the first time, won't be the last…': Shashi Tharoor after US deports 104 Indian migrants
The deported Indian migrants arrived on a US military C-17 transport aircraft at Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport in Amritsar on Wednesday.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday commented on the deportation of over 100 Indian migrants from the US, saying that “this isn't the first deportation and will not be the last.” The deported people arrived on a US military C-17 transport aircraft at Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport in Amritsar on Wednesday.
Tharoor claimed that during former President Joe Biden’s tenure, 1,100 Indians had already been sent back from the US.
“This is not the first deportation and won't be the last, even before Trump came, during Biden regime...there were already 1100 Indians sent back from America...the Americans estimate that 7,25,000 undocumented Indians eligible for deportations...they have arrested around 2 lakhs Indians from Mexico and Canad borders, in the last 4 years...if they are citizens of India we have an obligation to take them back, there is no debate about it,” Tharoor told ANI on Tuesday.
According to sources, among the 104 deported individuals, 30 are from Punjab, 33 each from Haryana and Gujarat, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh.
First such deportation to India under current Trump administration
The deportation of over 100 Indian migrants marks the first such action under US President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration after he assumed office. A US military C-17 aircraft, which departed from San Antonio, Texas, landed at Amritsar’s Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport around 1.55 pm.
Earlier reports had suggested that the aircraft was bringing back 205 illegal immigrants. Tight security measures were in place outside the airport, with heavy barricading and a large police presence.
According to sources, the deportees will be allowed to return home after verification and background checks. Authorities will focus on identifying any individuals with criminal records, officials said.
News agency PTI quoted Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav as saying on Tuesday that the state government had made arrangements to receive the deported individuals and set up counters at the airport.
Expressing disappointment over the deportation, Punjab’s NRI affairs minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that these individuals had contributed to the US economy and should have been granted permanent residency instead of being sent back. He noted that many of them had initially entered the US on work permits, which later expired, making them undocumented immigrants.
Dhaliwal also announced plans to meet external affairs minister S Jaishankar next week to discuss the concerns of Punjabis living in the US, PTI reported. He urged people to avoid illegal routes for migration and instead focus on acquiring skills, education, and language proficiency to access global opportunities legally.
Earlier, Jaishankar had said that India would facilitate the return of its citizens overstaying or residing without documentation in the US or elsewhere. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also reiterated India's stance against illegal immigration, stressing its links to organised crime.
Since Trump assumed office on January 20, the US has used military aircraft to deport illegal migrants to countries including Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras.
