Around 160 illegal immigrants, including 132 from Haryana and Punjab, will be arriving in India tomorrow after they were deported from the United States following the initiation of air evacuation operations for stranded Indian nationals.
The Indian ministry of external affairs (MEA) shared details of the deportees with the state governments following a recent meeting between foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and the top brass of Haryana and Punjab governments, top officials said.
Out of 1,793 illegal immigrants in the custody of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at detention centres in Texas, Arizona, California, New York and Washington being readied for deportation, there are 76 from Haryana and 56 from Punjab.
“Though the transportation of deportees is not part of the evacuation operation to bring stranded Indians back from abroad, the MEA is making all necessary arrangements, including documentation, for the arrival of deportees. The deportees will be put at the disposal of the respective state governments after their arrival and will have to undergo 14-day mandatory quarantine,” MEA’s press relation officer said.
