Key points
- Third batch of 157 deportees expected on Sunday
- Modi back in India after meeting Trump
- India tries to avoid Trump’s wrath
ISLAMABAD: Ten days after the United States deported 104 illegal Indian immigrants in a military plane, 119 more illegal immigrants – the second batch under the current US administration – landed in the Indian city of Amritsar.
This is the second round of deportations, following last week’s repatriation of 104 illegal Indian migrants who were also flown back in a US military transport aircraft.
The India Express reported quoting sources that a third batch of another 157 deportees is expected to land in Amritsar on Sunday night.
Illegal immigrants
Among the 119, 100 are from Punjab and Haryana. While 67 are from Punjab, 33 are from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Goa, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian media said.
The deportations come shortly after PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, where he met President Trump to discuss key bilateral issues, including immigration.
During a joint press conference, Modi said India will accept its citizens living illegally in the US, but also emphasised the need to combat human trafficking, which he said is a major factor driving illegal migration.
Human trafficking
“They are shown big dreams and most of them are misled and brought here. We must attack this system of human trafficking. The US and India should work together to dismantle such an ecosystem so that human trafficking ends… Our bigger fight is against that entire network, and we are confident that President Trump will fully cooperate with India in finishing this ecosystem,” PM Modi said.
The deportees include four women and two minors, including a six-year-old girl, sources said, adding that most of the deportees are in the age group of 18 to 30 years.
In the earlier batch of deportees who landed on February 5, 33 each were from Haryana and Gujarat, and 30 from Punjab.
