33 Gujaratis among 104 Indians deported from US, sent home in govt vehicles

A flight with 33 Gujarati immigrants, including women and children, reached Ahmedabad from Amritsar on Thursday, a day after 104 Indian migrants landed from US.

All 33 people from Gujarat, who were among the 104 Indians deported from the US for illegal immigration, were safely transported to their hometowns on Thursday in state vehicles under police supervision, the state government said.

Indian police officials escort immigrants deported from the United States, who were among those who arrived in a US military plane on Wednesday in Amritsar, upon their arrival at the Ahmedabad airport in India, on Thursday, (AP)

Following the deportation, chief minister Bhupendra Patel and minister of state for home Harsh Sanghavi instructed senior officials to coordinate with other agencies and ensure security for the deportees, according to an official release by the state.

A flight carrying 33 Gujarati immigrants, including women and children, arrived at Ahmedabad Airport from Punjab's Amritsar on Thursday morning, a day after a US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants landed in Amritsar.

“After completing all necessary procedures of verification and immigration clearance at the Amritsar airport, these 33 persons landed at Ahmedabad airport at 6.10 am on Thursday,” the release added.

Gujarat director general of police Vikas Sahay had assigned a deputy superintendent of police (DySP) to Amritsar airport to oversee security and facilitate coordination for the 33 Gujaratis, the release said.

At Ahmedabad airport, a police-nominated nodal officer was present to oversee their transportation. Upon arrival, the 33 deportees were escorted to their native places in government vehicles under police supervision, the release further said.

What did S Jaishankar say about US deportations?

Addressing the Rajya Sabha during the Parliament Budget Session on Thursday, external affairs minister S Jaishankar responded to the Opposition's criticism of the treatment of 104 illegal Indian immigrants who arrived in Amritsar on a US military plane on Wednesday. He said deportations have been a regular process for years and are not a new occurrence.

Since 2009, a total of 15,668 illegal Indian immigrants have been deported from the US, Jaishankar said.

He explained that deportations are carried out by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities and that the “standard operating procedure for deportations by aircraft used by (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) ICE that is effective from 2012, provides for the use of restraints.”

The minister further added that ICE has informed the Indian government that “women and children are not restrained. Further, the needs of deportees during transit related to food and other necessities, including possible medical emergencies, are attended to.”

Regarding toilet breaks, he clarified that “during toilet breaks deportees are temporarily unrestrained if needed in that regard,” adding that these procedures apply to both chartered civilian and military aircraft.

However, several deportees who arrived in Amritsar on Wednesday claimed that their hands and legs were shackled throughout the flight and that the restraints were only removed after landing. Among the returnees, 37 were aged between 18-25 years, while another 30 were in their thirties. Some had only spent a few days in the US before being detained, while others were in custody for weeks.

Referring to the US military aircraft that transported 104 illegal Indian immigrants on February 5, Jaishankar said, “There has been no change from past procedures for the flight undertaken by the US on February 5, 2025.”