A US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal immigrants from various states landed in Amritsar on Wednesday, the first such batch of Indians deported by the Donald Trump government as part of a crackdown against illegal immigrants
A US military aircraft carrying illegal Indian immigrants lands at Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport, Amritsar, on Wednesday. Pic/PTI
Jaspal Singh, who was among the 104 deportees brought in a United States (US) military aircraft on Wednesday, claimed that their hands and legs were cuffed throughout the journey and they were unshackled only after landing at the Amritsar airport.
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The 36-year-old resident of Gurdaspur district's Hardorwal village said he was captured by the US Border Patrol on January 24.
The immigrants, who belonged to various states, landed in Amritsar on Wednesday on a C-17 Globemaster, reported news agency PTI. They were the first such batch of Indians deported by the Donald Trump administration as part of a crackdown against illegal immigrants.
Of the 104 deportees, 33 each were from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh, sources said.
They included 19 women and 13 minors, including a four-year-old boy and two girls, aged five and seven, they added.
The 30 deportees from Punjab were taken to their hometowns in police vehicles from Amritsar airport, PTI reported.
'Travel agent promised that entry to US would be legal'
Singh was one of them. After reaching his home town Wednesday night, he said he was defrauded by a travel agent who promised to send him to the US in a legal way.
"I had asked the agent to send me through a proper visa. But he deceived me," said Jaspal. He said that the deal was done for Rs 30 lakh.
Detailing his journey, Singh claimed that he reached Brazil by air last year in July. He said he was promised that the next leg of journey, to the US, would be by air too. However, he was "cheated" by his agent, who forced him to cross the border illegally, PTI reported.
After staying for six months in Brazil, he crossed the border to the US, but was arrested by the Border Patrol and kept in custody for 11 days before being sent back home.
Singh said he did not know he was being deported to India.
"We thought we were being taken to another camp. Then a police officer told us that they were being taken to India. We were handcuffed and our legs were chained. These were opened at the Amritsar airport," he claimed, adding that he was shattered with the deportation. "A huge sum was spent. The money was borrowed," stated Singh.
'Saw one person dying in Panama jungle, another drowning in sea'
Earlier, his cousin Jasbir said, "We came to know about his deportation through the media on Wednesday morning. These are issues of governments. When we go abroad for work, we have big dreams for a better future for our families. Those have now been shattered."
Two more deportees, who reached their home towns in Hoshiarpur on Wednesday night, also shared their ordeal which they went through to reach the US.
Harwinder Singh, who hails from Tahli village in Hoshiarpur, said he left for the US in August 2024.
He was taken to Qatar, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Nicaragua, and then Mexico, and finally to the US.
"We crossed hills. A boat, which was taking us along with other persons, was about to capsize in the sea but we survived," he told reporters.
He also claimed that he saw one person dying in the Panama jungle and another drowning in the sea.
Crossed 17-18 hills: Deportee from Punjab
Harwinder said his travel agent had promised him that he would first be taken to Europe and then to Mexico. He said that he spent Rs 42 lakh for his trip to the US.
"Sometimes we got rice. Sometimes, we did not get anything to eat. We used to get biscuits," he said.
Another deportee from Punjab spoke about the 'donkey route' used to take them to the US.
"Our clothes worth Rs 30,000-35,000 were stolen on the way," he said, adding that they were first taken to Italy and then to Latin America.
They took a 15-hour-long boat ride and were made to walk 40-45 km.
"We crossed 17-18 hills. If one slipped, then there would be no chance that he would survive... We have seen a lot. If anybody got injured, he was left to die. We saw dead bodies," he revealed.
#WATCH | Hoshiarpur, Punjab: An Indian citizen who illegally migrated to the US says, "... I was lied to that I would be sent legally but I was sent by 'donkey' route... I faced a lot of difficulties on the way. Now that I am back here, I will work here... I crossed the border… pic.twitter.com/GCF2pRVLOi
— ANI (@ANI) February 6, 2025
The US action came just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington for wide-ranging talks with President Donald Trump.
The deportees were questioned inside the airport terminal building by different government agencies, including the Punjab Police, and various state and Central intelligence agencies to check if they have any criminal record.
(With PTI and ANI inputs)
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