'Why not Gujarat?', Punjab minister amid reports of more flights carrying deported Indians heading to Amritsar

As the Donald Trump administration continues with its mass deportation of all who are in the US illegally, two more flights are reportedly coming to India this week. According to reports, the second deportation flight from the US carrying illegal immigrants from India will land at Amritsar Airport on Saturday, February 15.

CREDIT: IANS

Two more deportation flights this week

This will be followed by one more flight a day later, Hindustan Times reported, adding that the number of illegal immigrants from India who would be deported on the two flights is unclear.

Last week, the MEA had revealed that a total of 487 'presumed Indians' are on the final deportation list of the US. India reportedly has agreed to take back 18,000 illegal migrants. Last week, the first US military aircraft carrying 104 Indian nationals deported by the US had landed at Amritsar Airport.

CREDIT: REUTERS

Why Amritsar Airport?

Meanwhile, the choice of Amritsar as the landing location for the deportation flights continues to be a sticking point in Punjab. Political parties in the state had questioned why the first deportation flight carrying 104 deported landed at Amritsar Airport, when the majority of those sent back were from Gujarat and Haryana.

As more deportation flights are reportedly heading to Amritsar, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema alleged that it was a deliberate attempt to malign the state.

"The government wants to defame Punjab by ensuring that aircraft carrying deported Indians land in Amritsar. Why not Haryana or Gujarat? This is clearly an attempt by the BJP to tarnish Punjab's image. This aircraft should land in Ahmedabad instead," Cheema told India Today.

CREDIT: AP

India will take back verified illegal migrants: Modi

Earlier, during his visit to the US, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India will take back any verified Indian illegal migrant in the US and will also crack down on human traffickers who exploit vulnerable people.

Also read: Punjab woman deported from US to India says she wants to return to UK, where she is a student

PM Modi said that he wanted to go beyond repatriation and fight the human traffickers who exploit ¡°the children of very ordinary families¡± luring them with ¡°big dreams and big promises¡±.

CREDIT: ANI

¡°A lot of them are brought in without them knowing why they're going to the country,¡± he said, adding that ¡°basically, the young, vulnerable, poor people of India are fooled into coming over as illegal immigrants.¡±

According to data from the Pew Research Center, there are more than 725,000 illegal immigrants from India in the US, making it the third most of any country after Mexico and El Salvador.

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