As many as 145 Indians, mostly illegal immigrants, have been deported from the US.
They arrived at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Wednesday on a special flight via Bangladesh, a senior airport official said.
“We have got the information that most of these Indians allegedly entered the US with the help of international agents who had promised them entry through illegal means. While several of them had extended their stay in the US which violates visa norms,” the official said, adding the flight also included some South Asian nationals.
The officer added that all of them have been given emergency certificates, allowing them to make only a one-way journey from the US to India.
“As the immigrants are from different states, we are maintaining their records and will be sharing the details with the local police in order to crack down on these agents. We are interrogating them and investigation is underway,” the officer said.
Earlier in May, US President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on all Mexican imports if the country failed to check people entering America illegally through Mexico’s borders.
Many Indian citizens usually approach a local agent who charges Rs.1 to 1.5 million ($13,940 to $20,910 approx.) for facilitating a person’s entry into the US, an airport official said.