A flight carrying 33 Gujarati immigrants, deported from the US for illegal immigration, landed at Ahmedabad airport on Thursday morning. The deported individuals, including women and children, were immediately transferred to their native places in Gujarat in police vehicles. (PICS/PTI)
Updated on : 06 February,2025 10:59 AM IST | Compiled by : Anisha Shrivastava
The group was part of 104 Indian nationals deported from the US, with the majority hailing from Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Patan, Vadodara, and Kheda districts in Gujarat. The deportation of the 33 immigrants occurred after a US military C-17 Globemaster aircraft landed in Amritsar, Punjab, on February 5.
Family members of the deported individuals expressed confusion over how their relatives ended up in the US, with some claiming to be unaware of the journey. Gujarat's former Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel expressed sympathy for the deported immigrants, stressing that many left India in search of better job opportunities.
Patel further highlighted that the deported individuals should not be branded as criminals, but rather as people who sought better prospects abroad. The Deputy Inspector General of Police, CID-Crime, Parikshita Rathod, confirmed that police would not interrogate the deportees at this stage.
Despite attempts by media personnel to speak with the deported individuals, they chose to remain silent and left for their homes in police vehicles. On February 5, Punjab's NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the issue with US President Donald Trump.
Dhaliwal suggested that Prime Minister Modi, who has a close relationship with President Trump, should push for a solution to the growing issue of deportation of Indians from the US. The US Embassy spokesperson reiterated that the US is strictly enforcing its immigration laws and deporting illegal migrants, underscoring that illegal immigration is not worth the risk.
