A fourth batch of 12 illegal Indian immigrants deported by the US arrived in Delhi on Sunday evening, February 23, after reportedly travelling via Panama. Four of the deported Indians were from Punjab, including two from Gurdaspur, one from Patiala, and one from Jalandhar.
This follows the deportation of 119 individuals on February 16 as part of the US government’s intensified crackdown on illegal immigration.
Earlier, on February 5, a US military aircraft brought the first batch of 104 deportees to Amritsar, including 33 each from Haryana and Gujarat and 30 from Punjab. Another 116 individuals were sent back on February 15, sparking criticism from leaders, including Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, over the Centre’s decision to allow landings in Amritsar.
Officials state that deportations will continue biweekly until all undocumented immigrants are repatriated.
US to route deportees through Panama under new deal
On February 20, Panama detained nearly 300 deportees from various countries under former US President Donald Trump’s administration, restricting their movement while awaiting repatriation. These migrants came from 10 mostly Asian nations, including India, Iran, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China.
The Panamanian government has now agreed to serve as a “bridge” or transit country for deportees, while the US bears all the costs of the operation. The agreement was announced earlier this month after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit.
On the same day, Panama also informed India about the safe arrival of a group of Indians deported from the US, with the Indian mission in the country coordinating with local authorities to ensure their well-being after securing consular access.
The Embassy of India in Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua shared the update on X but did not disclose the number of Indian deportees.
US deported 15668 illegal Indian immigrants since 2009
As many as 15,668 illegal Indian immigrants have been deported to India from the US since 2009, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informed the Rajya Sabha.
Making a statement in the Upper House after opposition parties stepped up their criticism over the treatment meted out to 104 illegal Indian immigrants who landed in Amritsar on Wednesday in a US military plane, Jaishankar asserted that the process of deportation has been ongoing for several years and is not new.
Citing data available with Indian law enforcement authorities, the minister said in 2009, 734 were deported, 799 in 2010, 597 in 2011, 530 in 2012, and 515 in 2013.
As per Jaishankar’s statement, in 2014 when the NDA government came to power, 591 were deported, followed by 708 in 2015. In 2016, a total of 1,303 were deported, 1,024 in 2017, 1,180 in 2018.
The highest deportation was witnessed in 2019 with 2,042 illegal Indian immigrants being sent back to the country. In 2020 the deportation number was 1,889; 805 in 2021; 862 in 2022; 617 in 2023; 1,368 last year, and 104 so far this year.
