Nearly half of the Indians deported from the US in five commercial flights from Panama from Feb 20 to March 2 belonged to Punjab, according to Union junior minister for external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh.
Out of 55 illegal immigrants deported in these commercial flights, 27 (49%) belonged to Punjab, 22 (40%) to Haryana, 3 (5%) to Uttar Pradesh, 2 (4%) to Gujarat, and 1 (2%) to Rajasthan, said Singh in a written response to a query from SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal in the Lok Sabha.
Overall, 388 illegal immigrants from India – including 333 in military aircraft – have been deported since Donald Trump became US President, with 153 (40%) from Punjab.
The five commercial flights, landing in Delhi on Feb 20, 23, 27, 28, and March 2, showed fluctuating numbers of Punjabi deportees. The Feb 20 flight had two immigrants from Haryana and none from Punjab, while the Feb 23 flight carried 12 immigrants, including four from Punjab. The Feb 27 flight brought back 11 deportees, including eight from Punjab, while the Feb 28 flight had nine immigrants, including six from Punjab. The March 2 flight carried 21 immigrants, including nine from Punjab.
Earlier, 333 illegal immigrants were deported from the US in three military planes on Feb 5, 15, and 16, and out of these, 126 (38%) were from Punjab, 110 (33%) from Haryana, and the rest from other states, stated the minister.
The minister clarified that landing sites for repatriation flights are chosen based on operational convenience, airspace routes, and proximity to the final destinations of deportees.
He said that the govt has raised concerns with US authorities regarding the treatment of deportees, particularly the use of restraints. While US procedures allow for restraints, assurances were given that no women or children were shackled on flights landing on Feb 15 and 16. “This has been confirmed and recorded by our agencies after interviewing the deportees on their arrival in India,” stated the minister.
MPs Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Selvaganapathy TM had posed questions regarding landing permissions for US military planes, the selection of Amritsar as a landing site, equitable media coverage, the distribution of deportees across states, and the treatment of deportees.