A US military aircraft carrying around 119 Indian illegal migrants is set to land at Amritsar International Airport on Saturday (February 15) between 10 pm and 11 pm.
Ahead of this, Congress leader P Chidambaram took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to raise questions about the conditions under which the deportees would be sent back, calling it a “test for Indian diplomacy.”
The development comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump to discuss issues, including immigration. Referring to a previous deportation flight last week, Chidambaram expressed apprehensions that the deportees might once again be handcuffed and shackled.
“All eyes will be on the U.S. aircraft which will land today in Amritsar bringing back illegal immigrants. Will the deportees be handcuffed and their legs tied with ropes? It is a test for Indian diplomacy,” Chidambaram’s post on X read.
This deportation follows a similar move last week when the US government deported 104 Indian nationals.
The 119 deportees hail from various states across India, with Punjab having the highest representation with 67 migrants, followed by 33 from Haryana, 8 from Gujarat, 3 from Uttar Pradesh, 2 each from Rajasthan and Maharashtra, one each from Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
Another batch of 67 Indian nationals is expected to be deported on Sunday, February 16, indicating that the crackdown on illegal immigration will continue.