By Thamanna Sadique
On Sunday night 16th February, a flight carrying the third batch of 112 Illegal immigrants landed at Amritsar from the US. Military aircrafts carrying immigrants will continue every week, until all the Indians are deported from the States as per US president Donald Trump’s crackdown on Illegal immigration. The airport witnessed the immigrants in a frustrating condition where the second batch of deportees were handcuffed and shackled. Friendly relations among both the countries did not seem to reflect in their treatment towards citizens.
Out of the 119 deportees, 67 were people from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two from Goa, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and one each from both Himachal Pradesh and J&K. The deportees from Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat were transported to their native states via morning flights, said a senior police officer.
According to the sources of Indian Express, the second batch of deportees displayed a show of inhumane treatment towards Indians, when they landed at the airport in handcuffs and shackles on their body. Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured his commitment to repatriate the immigrants during his visit to the US. Bhagwant Mann, the chief minister of Punjab said, “While Modi was shaking hands with his friend Donald Trump, Indian citizens were being deported in chains”. He also gave a statement which said the chained immigrants were the return gift from president trump for Modi’s US visits.
Earlier on Wednesday 12th February afternoon, 100 deportees from the US landed at the Amritsar’s Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport. The unusually large crowd prompted heightened measures of security at the airport.
For the purpose of repatriation of illegal immigrants from India and Central Asia, Costa Rica has agreed to serve as a bridge as per the statement by Costa Rica president Rodeigo Chave Robles’ office on Tuesday.