Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi (SHP)
New Delhi, Oct 18: Over 325 Indians were put on a special flight by Mexican immigration authorities for illegally entering the country. The group of people arrived in New Delhi on Friday, after being deported.
Reportedly, the Indians reached Mexico a couple of months back after international agents promised to help them enter the US through illegal means.
As soon as the repatriated Indians reached New Delhi, they were escorted by 60 security guards. They were also provided with one-day emergency certificates. These certificates are issued only when an individual has lost, damaged or have no valid passports.
One of the deported Indians claimed that immigrants of other Asian countries were not asked to leave and that they are still in Mexico. According to him, there were immigrants from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Cameroon and Nepal.
One of the repatriated Indians alleged that an 'agent' charged him Rs 18 Lac for entry into the US. They were even asked to walk through a forest for two weeks in Mexico, after which they got caught.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the National Immigration Institute of Mexico stated that they flew 310 men and one woman from Toluca to New Delhi, as mentioned in a report by Washington Post.
Since a while now, Mexico has tightened their immigration policies after pressure from the US and Trump government.
As per a senior immigration officer, the process of repatriation takes at least 3-4 hours as agencies try to ask them regarding their travel. A legal case may also be registered and the role of insiders would be investigated.
Meanwhile, it was found that the majority of the people deported were from Punjab.