11 Punjabis deported from Australia, Mann heads to Delhi to receive them

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on April 30 confirmed that 11 individuals from Punjab, including one woman, are being deported from Australia, with the CM set to personally receive them in Delhi late tonight.

According to the state government, a list shared by authorities includes 15 deportees in total, the majority marked with Punjab as their “home state.” The remaining include two from Telangana and one each from Haryana and Uttarakhand.

Mann said the government will initiate a detailed probe into the illegal migration chain, focusing on agents and intermediaries who facilitated the travel. “We will gather complete details on how documents were processed and identify those responsible,” he said, adding that coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs may follow if required.

The Chief Minister underscored the financial and emotional toll on families, noting that many migrants spend lakhs of rupees (₹) chasing overseas opportunities, often through unauthorised channels, only to face deportation. He said rehabilitation efforts are already underway, drawing from previous cases of returnees.

The development follows a similar deportation episode involving the United States during the tenure of Donald Trump, when 104 Indian nationals identified as illegal immigrants were flown back on 12 February aboard a C-17 Globemaster aircraft that landed at the Air Force base in Amritsar.

Among them were 30 individuals from Punjab and 33 each from Haryana and Gujarat, including families and children aged between 8 and 10 years. After verification at the airport, the deportees were cleared through immigration and customs and handed over to Punjab Police before being transported to their homes.

Officials indicate that such deportations highlight the growing scale of illegal migration networks, with authorities now intensifying scrutiny to dismantle agent-led operations that promise overseas placements in exchange for hefty sums — often running into ₹10–30 lakh, with little guarantee of legal status.