New Delhi:

A plane with 112 Indians, who were deported from the United States for illegally residing in the country, landed in Amritsar on Sunday night, the third such arrival in a span of 10 days as part of the Donald Trump administration’s crackdown on such immigrants. 

The flight C-17 Globemaster aircraft of the US Air Force landed at the Amritsar International Airport at around 10.03 pm, according to sources. 

Of the total deportees, 31 are from Punjab, 44 from Haryana, 33 from Gujarat, two from Uttar Pradesh and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The families of some of them reached the airport to receive them.

The deportees will be allowed to head to their homes after completion of all formalities, including immigration, verification and background checks. Arrangements have been made for the transportation of deportees to their destination, the sources said. 

The first round of deportation had taken place on February 5, when a US military plane transported 104 Indians to Amritsar. A second plane carrying 116 Indians landed on Saturday. 

During the first round of deportation, the people were shackled and restrained throughout the flight, only to be freed upon arrival in India – a move that triggered a political storm in India, and led to an uproar in both Houses of Parliament during the then ongoing Budget session. Similar allegations of ill-treatment were also made by those who returned on Saturday.

Amid criticism, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar earlier said the Centre is engaging with the US to ensure the deportees are not mistreated. He also said the US’ deportation of illegal migrants is not a new development and has been going on for years.  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in the US earlier this week, said India will take back any of its citizens living illegally in the US. He, however, emphasised that efforts need to be made to end human trafficking. 

“Our bigger fight is against that entire ecosystem, and we are confident that President Trump will fully cooperate with India in finishing this ecosystem,” he said.  

In its defense, the US Embassy in India said “enforcing our nation’s immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States”. “It is the policy of the United States to faithfully execute the immigration laws against all inadmissible and removable aliens,” an embassy spokesperson said.

India is the third source of undocumented immigrants in the US after Mexico and El Salvador.

Most of the deportees belonging to Punjab earlier said they wanted to migrate to the US for a better life for their families. However, their dreams were shattered when they were caught on the US border and sent back in shackles.

Washington DC:

Highlighting a “very high degree of trust” between India and the United States, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today revealed the details of his visit to the United States for Donald Trump’s inauguration and subsequent top-level meetings with senior Trump administration officials.

Describing the special treatment extended to him during his visit as India’s representative, Dr Jaishankar said, “It is very clear that the Trump administration is prioritising the bilateral relationship with India.”

Dr Jaishankar said that one of the concerns he raised in his meeting with his US counterpart Marco Rubio was that of the delay in the visa process. “It hampers work, business, travel, and tourism,” the minister said.

Grateful for the warmth and the hospitality he received, and for being given the front seat at the Trump inauguration, Dr Jaishankar said, “A special envoy of Prime Minister Modi is naturally treated very well.” S Jaishankar represented Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his Special Envoy at the inaugural function of President Donald Trump in Washington DC. He even carried a letter from the Prime Minister for President Trump.

Speaking further on his meetings with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Walz, Dr Jaishankar said that the efforts of the new Trump administration are to build on the “strong foundation” laid by the previous Trump administration between 2017 and 2021.

Speaking about the Quad foreign ministers’ meet which was held on day-one of the Trump administration, Dr Jaishankar said that the US is keen to expand the scope and scale of the Quad, adding that Washington wants to intensify the activities of the multilateral grouping which is a diplomatic and security partnership set up by the four nations to maintain peace and freedom of navigation under a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.

“If I were to share my overall impressions, I would say one, it was very keen. It was very clear that the Trump administration was keen to have India present at the inaugural itself. They’re clearly prioritising the bilateral relationship. Secondly, in the meetings, it was also evident that they would like to build on the foundation of the relationship, a foundation which the first Trump administration also contributed a lot to building,” Dr Jaishankar said.

He further highlighted that “President Trump and Prime Minister Modi at that time took a number of initiatives, and we have seen that mature in many ways. And the third impression was, with regard to the Quad, a very strong sense that the current administration would reciprocate our desire as well to take the Quad further, to intensify its activities.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes U.S. President Joe Biden for the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, Delhi, on September 9, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Dan Kitwood

The “health of democracy” is an important issue for the India-U.S. relationship, said senior U.S. White House officials, adding that U.S. President Joe Biden raised these issues in every meeting he has held with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Briefing the media after the bilateral meeting on Friday night (September 8) between PM Modi and President Biden, the officials made a reference to the Karnataka State elections, calling Mr. Modi’s public congratulations to the Congress party for its victory in the State, which the ruling BJP lost in May, a “positive indicator” for democracy. 

They said India is “disappointed” that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping did not attend the G20 summit, said senior U.S. White House officials, adding that there was “clear appreciation” that U.S. President Joe Biden travelled to India for it.

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On chances for a joint declaration being forged at the end of the G20 summit, the officials said there had been some forward movement, particularly on climate issues in the draft communique, but that the U.S. would remain “purposeful determined and resolute” on the language over Ukraine. As The Hindu had reported on September 8, officials and diplomats said the language on all non-geopolitical issues had been cleared, but Ukraine remains a sticking point with the U.S. and allies ranged on one side and Russia and China on the other. 

“There was a clear appreciation on the part of India that President Biden is here, and that he made the trip,” said Kurt Campbell, the National Security Council’s Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, adding that “I think it is a disappointment for India that both Russia and China (Presidents) are not here”. 

Highlighting the India-U.S.-Saudi Arabia-India infrastructure corridor which now includes the European Union, that is expected to be announced, Mr. Campbell said that talks are still ongoing with all the parties present in Delhi, and this would be a “major breakthrough that would help fundamental delays with respect to infrastructure and communications, from India with the Middle East (West Asia) and then on to Europe. 

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The officials also faced several questions from the U.S. White House Press Corps members on the lack of access for journalists in the press pool to the bilateral meeting and the main G20 venue. Mr. Campbell said that this had been raised with India, and stressed that despite India’s objections, the U.S. had held a press interaction with PM Modi and President Biden during the state visit in Washington in June. 

“I do want to just underscore for you that in every meeting that I’ve been in, the President is very clear about the importance of the health of democracy. He doesn’t do this in such a way that suggests that one country is lecturing to another but rather that we all face shared challenges, and we think it’s important that we’re constantly asking the hard questions about our democracy.” When pressed on whether U.S. concerns over India have led to any “change” in the Modi government, Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher, the NSC Senior Director for South Asia, pointing to recent Karnataka elections, said that Mr. Modi had congratulated the Congress party on the results, although she said the U.S. would not like to ascribe this to its influence.