Just days after Donald Trump became the President of the United States, he has been on a mission to send illegal immigrants back to their home countries. In the same mission, some 205 Indians immigrants were sent back to India on a US military plane on the afternoon of February 5. The plane that carried illegal immigrants landed in Amritsar, Punjab. Till now, the US military has deported migrants to countries like Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras and now India.

The passengers aboard the C-17 aircraft included nationals from various Indian states, including Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. The deportation follows US President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to make the USA free of illegal immigrants.

On this, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that the state government will receive deported Indian nationals and organise a dedicated counter for them. He also assured that the Punjab government is in contact with the Centre and will share information as it becomes available.

Mann made these remarks after meeting with Punjab Police officials, including commissioners and senior superintendents, to discuss various matters. Meanwhile, DGP Dhaliwal described the deportation of Indians from the US as a "very serious" issue.

Trump has declared a national emergency at the US-Mexico border, which also led to increased enforcement against undocumented immigrants. The flight that landed in Amritsar carried 104 Indian nationals who had illegally entered the United States.

As per reports, the flight departed from San Antonio, Texas, at approximately 3 a.m. IST on February 4. And among the deportees, the highest number are from Gujarat and Haryana. From Punjab, there are 30 people, Maharashtra has 3, Uttar Pradesh 2, and Chandigarh also 2.

Soon after this, the NRI affairs minister discussed plans to meet with the external affairs minister next week to address concerns regarding the interests of the Punjabi community in the United States. The minister also urged people to refrain from attempting to migrate abroad through illegal mode.

With President Trump back in power, his immigration crackdown priorities are now extremely clear. His executive orders signed this week lay out an ambitious agenda, including declaring an invasion at the border and ending birthright citizenship. However, the questions still remain the same: what’s next!

However, as of now, there’s no direct impact of this on travellers.