‘Never Thought She’d Be Sent Back in a Month’: Families Grapple With Deportation of Kin From US

Amritsar: Families of deported Indian migrants revealed that the US primarily targeted those who had entered the country recently, many through illegal routes.

On Wednesday (February 5) afternoon, a US military C-17 Globemaster landed at the Indian Air Force Station in Amritsar with 104 deportees – the first such flight organised by the Trump administration outside the Americas.

Among them is 20-year-old Ajaydeep from Mahal village in the Amritsar cantonment, who went to the US via a ‘dunki’ route just 15 days ago. His grandfather confirmed that Ajaydeep had spoken to his mother before being deported. His mother, present at the airport exit gate, declined to speak to the media.

Another case is that of Harwinder Singh from Tahli village in Hoshiarpur district, who had illegally entered the US a month ago. At his home, villagers gathered to console his wife and brother, who disclosed that they had paid Rs 42 lakh to a travel agent to facilitate his journey.

Forty-one-year-old Harwinder crossed the US border on January 15 this year, during which his travel agent remained in touch with his family.

“The ‘dunki’ instructed my husband to inform us once he landed safely. After that, we lost contact. All these days, I kept asking the travel agent about my husband’s whereabouts, and he kept assuring me that he would call. Today, I learned that he has been deported,” his wife told The Wire over the phone.

She further alleged that they were misled about the mode of travel. “The agent had promised us that my husband will reach the US in ‘ek number’ [a local slang which means the legal route]. However, he sent him through the dunki route to the US.

“Our family’s financial condition is not good, but we managed to collect Rs 42 lakh with interest. We were hopeful that our days would change someday.”

Harwinder’s wife demanded that the Union and Punjab governments initiate action against fake travel agents who were putting the lives of many people at risk.

“The government should also assist us with some financial support. People fall in the trap of travel agents and end up losing everything”, she said.

The Indians who landed at the airport aboard the US military plane included 12 minors – one as young as four – and 25 women.

The family of one woman who was to get married in the US said while waiting at the Amritsar airport that they learned of her daughter’s deportation through the media.

The girl’s paternal uncle and her brother, who reached the Amritsar airport to receive 26-year-old Manjeet Kaur (name changed), said she had travelled to the US to get married.

Kaur’s uncle and her brother said: “She left on a Schengen visa via Spain on January 2, 2025 and reached the US within 20 days. Her maternal aunt, who is well settled in the US, had fixed the match. Her fiance has been in California for seven years. We believed she had arrived safely and would soon join him, but we never expected her to be deported within a month.

The family, which comes from an agricultural background, said they last spoke to her ten days ago and were preparing for her wedding. “We spent around Rs 40 lakh to send her to the US, part of which was arranged by her fiance,” they added.

Dubai-based agent arranged many deportees’ journey: Punjab NRI affairs minister

Upon arrival, security agencies questioned the deportees at the airport about their journey to the US. It took over four hours after the plane landed in Amritsar for those from Punjab and nearby areas to be allowed to exit the premises in vehicles arranged by the authorities.

The 33 deportees from Gujarat remained at the airport, as they were scheduled to take a flight – direct or with connections – to Gandhinagar.

Punjab NRI affairs minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for claiming a close friendship with former US President Donald Trump, urging him to take up the issue of deportations with Washington.

“This is a very serious issue between two countries. It is an international issue between India and the US. It is my appeal to PM Modi that he should speak to [Trump] and talk about the deportation of the youths. PM Modi even campaigned for Trump in 2019 in Texas and raised the slogan – ‘Ab ki baar, Trump sarkar’,” he told reporters at the airport.

While there has been no official announcement, Modi will travel to Washington to meet Trump on February 13.

Dhaliwal said he had met the deportees upon their return and claimed they were in good condition. However, when asked whether they had been handcuffed, he evaded the question, stating he had no knowledge as he met them only after landing.

He further stated that the first batch of deportees included youths from Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and other states. “They were exhausted after the long flight, but we provided them food and tea,” he said.

According to him, many deported youths had arranged their journey through a Dubai-based agent over the phone. Some even held Canadian visas but had opted to enter the US.

“At this moment, it is crucial for PM Modi to address these concerns with Trump,” he added.

Other countries have contested deportation on American military flights

Trump, who had campaigned on the promise of deporting undocumented migrants en masse, had organised high-profile flights on military planes for undocumented migrants after he took office last month.

So far, the military planes have delivered deportees to Peru, Honduras and Guatemala.

Colombia had initially refused to accept deportees on military planes, prompting Trump to threaten a 25% tariff on Colombian exports.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro argued that previous deportation flights had always been on civilian aircraft and that military transportation violated the dignity of those being deported. After negotiations, Colombia resumed accepting deportees, but they were flown back on Colombian Air Force planes instead.

Brazil also protested the “inhumane” conditions aboard a civilian flight chartered from GlobalX for deported Brazilians. Following the outcry, Brazil announced that it was in talks with the US embassy regarding future deportation flights.

Mexico too refused to accept deportees on military aircraft but has allowed their return on other planes.

Meanwhile, the Indian government has remained silent for the past 48 hours, even after the deportation flight landed in Amritsar.