February 16, 2025: A US military flight carrying 157 Indian deportees is set to arrive in Amritsar on Sunday evening, marking the third such deportation in recent weeks as the Donald Trump administration continues its stringent crackdown on illegal immigration. The majority of those on board are reported to be from Haryana.

This latest arrival follows a similar flight that brought back 119 Indians on Saturday. Among them, 67 were from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, and the rest from states like Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir. During Saturday’s deportation, two individuals from Punjab, Sandeep and Pradeep, were taken into custody at the airport. Both had been declared proclaimed offenders in a murder case in Patiala, and Punjab police arrested them upon arrival.

The Indian government has been receiving batches of deportees from the US this month, with the first group of 104 arriving on February 5. All flights so far have landed at Amritsar airport, a decision that has sparked controversy.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has strongly opposed the use of Amritsar as a landing site for these flights, arguing that the city, known for its religious and historical significance, should not become a deportation hub. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, he questioned why Amritsar was being used repeatedly and suggested that other airbases in the country could handle such arrivals instead. He also compared the situation to whether deportation flights would be allowed to land in Vatican City if the individuals involved were from there.

As more deportation flights are expected in the coming weeks, the debate over immigration policies and the treatment of deported individuals continues to grow.