Mann govt should resettle illegal immigrants from Punjab deported by US: BJP's Harjit Grewal

Chandigarh: Punjab BJP leader Harjit Singh Grewal Wednesday demanded Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann make arrangements for the resettlement and employment of illegal immigrants from the state who have been deported by the US government.

A US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal immigrants from various states landed at Amritsar airport on Wednesday, the first such batch of Indians deported by the Donald Trump government as part of a crackdown it resolved to carry out when it was sworn in last month.

Of the deportees, 33 each are from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh, sources said.

The deportees included 19 women and 13 minors, they said.

The US action comes just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington to hold wide-ranging talks with President Donald Trump.

Among the illegal immigrants hailing from Punjab, six are from Kapurthala, five from Amritsar, four each from Patiala and Jalandhar, two each from Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, SBS Nagar and one each from Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Sangrur, SAS Nagar and Fatehgarh Sahib, sources said.

These people took loans and spent lakhs to reach the US and got caught there, BJP national executive member Grewal said, adding the responsibility of the resettlement of these people now lies with governments of the states to which they belong.

He demanded that Chief Minister Mann make arrangements for the resettlement and employment of these people.

The BJP leader demanded strict action against travel agents who sent people to the US through "donkey routes" and other illegal means by taking lakhs of rupees from them.

Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Tuesday expressed disappointment over the US government's decision and said these individuals, who contributed to that country's economy, should have been granted permanent residency instead of being deported.

He had said many Indians entered the US on work permits which later expired, making them illegal immigrants. The minister said he plans to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar next week to discuss the concerns and interests of Punjabis living in the US.

Dhaliwal had also appealed to Punjabis not to travel abroad using illegal means, emphasising the importance of acquiring skills and education to access opportunities worldwide.

He encouraged people to research legal ways and acquire education and language skills before travelling abroad.