The second flight carrying deportees from the US is set to arrive in Amritsar on Saturday, with a third flight likely to follow shortly.

A second plane transporting 119 Indians who were deported from the United States is expected to reach Amritsar Airport on Saturday, with the majority of the 67 passengers being from Punjab. Another flight with deportees is anticipated on February 16. It is still uncertain if a US plane will transport the deportees or if the Indian government has organized a flight for their return.

On February 5, a C-17 plane arrived in Amritsar with 104 Indians on board, primarily consisting of passengers from Haryana, Gujarat, and Punjab. According to sources, an Indian plane is anticipated to arrive carrying the second group of deportees who, in contrast to those from the first flight, are unlikely to be shackled. The Union government received backlash regarding the handling of passengers on the first flight.

The purported ‘dehumanisation’ of the deportees caused chaos in Parliament, and the foreign minister pledged to address the matter with the US government. The second flight is anticipated to land at Amritsar International Airport between 10 pm and 11 pm on Saturday. As per reports, the passengers consist of 67 individuals from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Maharashtra and Rajasthan, and one person each from Goa, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir.

During the initial flight, the majority of the deportees had used the illegal “dunkey” path to gain entry into the US. Numerous individuals had embarked on long journeys that extended for months after spending large amounts on dishonest agents. Since their return, the governments of Punjab and Haryana have detained numerous agents of this kind. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent trip to the US, illegal immigration was a topic of discussion with President Donald Trump.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, “They committed to streamlining avenues for legal mobility of students and professionals and facilitating short-term tourist and business travel while also committing to aggressively addressing and tackling illegal immigration and human trafficking. There is a commitment from both sides to take decisive action against elements that threaten public and diplomatic safety and security, as well as the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both nations. There is a commitment to strengthen law enforcement in this regard, especially significant from our perspective given some events that have taken place.”