Amritsar (Punjab) [India], February 16 (ANI): Punjab’s NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal and Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO met illegal Indian immigrants who were deported from the US to Amritsar.
The aircraft carrying the second batch of Indian nationals who illegally migrated to the US landed at the Amritsar Airport on Sunday. This is the second such flight of deportees which has landed in Amritsar Airport after US President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
They are now being sent to their respective states.
Earlier on February 5, a US Air Force plane carrying over 100 Indian Indian citizens who allegedly illegally migrated to the US landed in Punjab’s Amritsar.
On Saturday, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann assured that the deportees would be treated properly and that all arrangements had been made. The Chief Minister said the deportees would stay in Amritsar for a few hours before being taken to their respective states.
“Our kids are the ones which are coming here anyway, so from here no one can go hungry, we will make arrangements. We have also made staying arrangements for them. They will stay here for a few hours and then go to their respective states as the flights have been booked by the Ministry of External Affairs already,” Mann said in a press conference in Amritsar on Saturday.
Earlier on Friday, CM Mann came down heavily at the Centre over the treatment of deported Indian nationals, who had allegedly illegally migrated to the US.
Alleging a conspiracy to ‘defame’ Punjabis, Mann said, “There is a conspiracy to defame Punjab and Punjabis. The first plane landed in Amritsar. Now, a second plane will land in Amritsar. The MEA should tell the criteria based on which Amritsar was selected to land the aircraft. You select Amritsar to defame Punjab.”
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed India’s willingness to take back its nationals if they live illegally in the United States and laid emphasis on the need to finish the “ecosystem” of human trafficking. PM Modi also expressed confidence that Trump will fully cooperate with India in finishing this ecosystem.
“Those who stay in other countries illegally do not have any legal right to be there. As far as India and the US are concerned, we have always said that those who are verified and are truly the citizens of India – if they live in the US illegally, India is ready to take them back,” PM Modi said, answering a query at the joint press conference with President Trump after their bilateral talks.
He said most of the people staying illegally are from ordinary families and are misguided by human traffickers.
“But it doesn’t stop just there for us. These are people from ordinary families. They are shown big dreams and most of them are such who are misled and brought here. So, we should attack this entire system of human trafficking. Together, it should be the effort of the US and India to destroy such an ecosystem from its roots so that human trafficking ends…Our bigger fight is against that entire ecosystem, and we are confident that President Trump will fully cooperate with India in finishing this ecosystem,” he added.
Earlier on February 5, the US had sent over 100 Indians, who it said were illegal immigrants, to the country in a military plane, which caused a political furore in the country. On February 6, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar gave a statement in Parliament on the deportation of Indian nationals.
In his statement at the Rajya Sabha on February 6, Jaishankar said that it is the obligation of all nations to take back their nationals if they are found to be residing there illegally and said that the Indian government is engaging the US government to ensure that the deportees are not mistreated in any manner. (ANI)
