GUJRAT - Ahmedabad: A group of 33 people from Gujarat, including seven children, who were deported from the United States, arrived in Ahmedabad early Thursday morning. Their flight landed at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport at 6.30 am.
The deportees came from different districts: 13 were from Gandhinagar, 10 from Mehsana, four from Patan, and one each from Ahmedabad city, Ahmedabad rural, Vadodara rural, Petlad (Anand district), Ankleshwar (Bharuch district), and Juna Deesa (Banaskantha).
By 5 am, police teams from these districts had already reached the airport. Officials took custody of the deportees and transported them to their respective district police headquarters for questioning before escorting them home. To maintain order, police had informed their families in advance that they would be dropped off under escort, which is why no relatives were present at the airport.
Security was tight, with Ahmedabad city police working alongside the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to manage the situation. The first deportees exited the airport at 6:57 am through Arrival Gate-6, each accompanied by at least two police personnel. Many covered their faces with masks or handkerchiefs and refused to speak to the media. Some looked anxious as they quickly walked towards waiting police vehicles.
There was a brief delay around 7:20 am due to a shortage of police escorts, causing a pause of about 40 minutes. The process resumed at 8 am, and by 8:09 am, the final batch of six to ten people, all from Mehsana, was taken out through Gate-6 and placed directly into waiting vans headed to North Gujarat.
These 33 individuals were among 104 Indians deported from the US on a military aircraft that landed in Amritsar on Wednesday. They are the first group sent back under the Trump 2.0 administration.
The United States has stepped up its immigration enforcement, resulting in a surge in deportations. The main focus is on individuals who entered the country without proper documentation or overstayed their visas. This stricter approach falls in line with President Donald Trump's tough stance on immigration, particularly regarding the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants residing in the US.