150 Indians, deported from US, land at Delhi's IGI Airport
What's the story
On Wednesday morning, around 150 Indians, deported from the United States, landed in New Delhi.
The deportees landed at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport's T3 terminal at 6 am via Bangladesh. They were found violating visa norms or caught illegally entering the US.
The move comes after similar mass deportations in October from the US and Mexico.
Here are more details.
Details
Most deportees from Punjab, Haryana; some from Gujarat
According to Hindustan Times, most of the deportees are aged between 25-35 and hail from Punjab and Haryana, including some from Gujarat.
Reportedly, the deportees took different routes to arrive in Mexico to illegally cross over into the US. While some went through Ecuador and other South American countries, others took the European route, via Greece and Italy.
Quote
'Fourth time I've been deported; spent Rs. 24 lakh'
One of the deportees, Singh Jabarjung (24), said, "This was the fourth time I've been deported."
"I boarded a flight on May 15 and reached Mexico via Moscow and Paris. I tried to enter California on May 16 but was caught by police and deported from Arizona," Singh said, adding he spent Rs. 24 lakh on the attempts and Rs. 40 lakh on advocacy.
Information
Another deportee paid Rs. 25 lakh to Amritsar-based agent
Another deportee, Lakwinder Singh, said an Amritsar-based agent sent him to Mexico on May 2 via Moscow and Paris. Singh was deported from Arizona after getting caught crossing the US border. He paid the agent Rs. 25 lakh.
Action
Will try to track down agents functioning from India: Official
Saying that the deportees will be documented, an official told HT on the condition of anonymity, "We've seen in the past that agents charge Rs. 10-15 lakh for facilitating one person's entry into the US."
They added, "We'll also try to track down such agents functioning from India. Since they're from different states, their concerned police will be informed if anything significant is found."
History
Last month, US, Mexico deported hundreds of Indians
In a similar move, the US deported 117 Indians on October 23, according to HT.
Just days before the incident, Mexico had deported 311 Indians on October 18.
The deportees arrived in New Delhi from the Toluca City International Airport in Mexico. Reportedly, the deportees had arrived in Mexico with further plans to cross over into US territory.