Second batch of illegal migrants from US land in Amritsar; deportee claims they were handcuffed, chained
A group of 116 Indian migrants were deported from the United States and arrived at Amritsar airport late Saturday night aboard a massive C-17 military aircraft.
FollowA group of 116 Indian migrants were deported from the United States and arrived at Amritsar airport late Saturday night aboard a massive C-17 military aircraft.
Daljit Singh, one of the deportees hailing from Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district, described the harrowing ordeal they endured on the flight. “Our legs were chained and hands were also cuffed,” he revealed to reporters upon reaching home.
Singh had entered the US through the perilous and illegal ‘donkey route’—a dangerous and often deceptive pathway exploited by migrants in pursuit of a better life. His wife, Kamalpreet Kaur, disclosed that he had fallen prey to a fraudulent travel agent. The agent, recommended by a local contact, had assured Singh a legitimate entry into the US but instead pushed him through a perilous, multi-country journey.
This deportation marks the second major batch of Indians expelled under the Trump administration’s stringent immigration policies.
Upon arrival at Amritsar, the deportees underwent rigorous immigration and background checks before being dispatched to their respective states. Punjab returnees were escorted home in police vehicles at approximately 4:30 AM on Sunday, while authorities in Haryana made separate arrangements for their citizens.
Many returnees from the earlier batch, expelled on February 5, shared similar accounts of deportation.
The latest batch comprised 65 individuals from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, two each from Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. Most of the deportees were between 18 and 30 years old.
Sources revealed that another deportation flight carrying 157 Indians was slated to touch down at Amritsar airport on Sunday.
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