A US military aircraft carrying approximately 200 illegal Indian immigrants is expected to land at Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport on Wednesday afternoon, after a slight delay from its earlier scheduled morning arrival. The plane, a C-17, is reportedly bringing 205 individuals, mostly from Punjab and surrounding states, who had overstayed their visas or entered the United States illegally.

Punjab’s Director General of Police, Gaurav Yadav, confirmed that the state government would coordinate the arrival of the immigrants and set up support counters at the airport to assist them. Meanwhile, Punjab’s NRI Affairs Minister, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, expressed his disappointment with the US government’s decision to deport these individuals. He argued that many of them had contributed to the US economy and should have been granted permanent residency instead of being sent back. Many of those being deported entered the US on work permits, which later expired, making them illegal immigrants.

Dhaliwal also emphasized the need for a constructive approach to the issue, revealing plans to meet with India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, next week to discuss the situation and address the concerns of the Indian diaspora in the US. In the meantime, he urged Punjabis not to resort to illegal means to migrate abroad, encouraging them instead to focus on acquiring skills and education to pursue legal opportunities internationally.

The crackdown on illegal immigrants has intensified under the Biden administration, with many Punjabis who entered the US through “donkey routes” or other illicit means now facing deportation. This has sparked growing concerns in Punjab, where large numbers of people had invested significant amounts of money in hopes of a better life in the US, only to find themselves caught in an ongoing immigration enforcement operation.