Last Updated:
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday questioned the likely landing of another plane carrying illegal Indian immigrants at the Amritsar airport as he hit out at the Centre, accusing it of trying to defame Punjab.
A flight carrying as many as 119 illegal Indian immigrants from the US is likely to land at Amritsar airport at around 10 pm on February 15 (File)
US illegal immigrants deportation: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday accused the central government of deliberately selecting Amritsar as likely the landing point of another flight carrying deported Indian immigrants from the US, saying that the government is trying to defame Punjab.
Reportedly, a second batch of 119 illegal Indian immigrants in the US is likely to be deported in a US plane that will land at Amritsar airport on February 15, as part of a massive crackdown by the Donald Trump administration.
This comes days after the first batch of 104 Indian immigrants were flown back to India in a US military aircraft last week. The deportees were handcuffed during the flight which created an uproar in the country, including in the political corridors.
Among these 119 immigrants, 67 hail from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Goa, Maharashtra and Rajasthan and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, the official sources said as quoted by news agency PTI.
While addressing a press conference, Mann said, “The BJP-led Centre always discriminates against Punjab. It does not let go of any chance of defaming Punjab.”
VIDEO | A US plane carrying 119 illegal immigrants is likely to land at Amritsar airport on February 15, the second such batch of Indians deported by the Trump government as part of a crackdown it resolved to carry out when it was sworn in last month. The plane is expected to… pic.twitter.com/vFcwxYghoq— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 14, 2025
He said that the first US plane carrying illegal Indian immigrants had 33 people from Haryana and Gujarat each and 30 from Punjab.
“It is being said that out of the 119 illegal immigrants, 67 hail from Punjab and that’s why the plane will land in Amritsar. If that’s the case, then why didn’t the first plane last in Ahmedabad? … They (referring to BJP-led central government) are trying to defame Punjab. BJP always tries to defame Punjabis and Punjab,” Mann added.
Lashing out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi who earlier on Friday early morning held high-stake bilateral talks with President Trump, Mann asked whether he was bringing a “gift” from the country, referring to another plane of illegal Indian immigrants.
After Trump’s inauguration on January 20 this year, his administration has launched a massive crackdown against illegal immigrants.
Several Indians who entered the US through “donkey routes” – an illegal method used by the migrants to get entry into the US and other countries – are being deported.
(With inputs from agencies)
- Location :
Amritsar, India, India
