US plane carrying second batch of 'illegal' Indian immigrants lands in Amritsar

The C-17 military aircraft landed at the Amritsar International Airport close to 11:40 pm.

Among the 119 deportees, 67 are from Punjab, 33 are from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three are from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Goa, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra and one each from Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

The first US plane carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants landed in Amritsar last week.

However, a massive row broke out after the Indians were sent back to the country in a captive state with handcuffs and chains.

India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had responded to the row saying the government was engaging with the United States to ensure no Indian deportee is mistreated during the travel in the wake of 104 extradited nationals' claim that they were handcuffed and chained during the long journey.

Jaishankar stated in Parliament in the backdrop of the Opposition's criticisms of the Centre over the way the deported Indians were treated.

The second US plane is set to land in Amritsar in the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington DC.

Though Modi didn't speak on the return of Indian deportees in captive states, he reiterated New Delhi's eagerness to accept all "verified" illegal immigrants from his country during a joint presser with Trump.

In the larger context, the Prime Minister also took a strong note of the nationals being duped by the agents who helped them reach the US.

When asked about the US' crackdown on illegal immigration, Modi said, "This is not just the question of India but those who live in other countries illegally. India is ready to accept all its verified nationals who are illegally staying in the US.

"But that matter doesn't stop here. We need to bring a crackdown on the entire human trafficking ecosystem which misleads people from nominal families showing big dreams and bring them to the US."